Kage no aru Murasaki
by Nashi-chan
Summary: Kage no aru Murasaki means "The Purple Shadow" The story is coming to a close! Ayane's goal has been taken from her but can something else now fill it's barren place? Hayabusa-Ayane ::Complete!::
1. It begins

A note- Hello and thank you for viewing this story. It means a lot to me, seeing as it is my first fiction for Dead or Alive. I haven't played the third game on X-box yet, so please pardon it if there's something that contradicts with anything. I tend to type on random thoughts then to plan ahead...  
  
Disclaimer- I own nothing from Dead or Alive. Plain and simple.  
  
Kage no aru Murasaki  
  
It begins...  
  
Cold rain fell in the forest, as two shadows ran amongst the trees. The two were nothing but blurs to the untrained eye, but to one who knew how to see beyond common people could tell that these two blurs were highly trained ninja, one trying to escape the other who was after its life.  
  
Kasumi nimbly ran past each tree, wishing to lose her purple haired assassin, who happened to be her half-sister Ayane. But Ayane was close behind her and wouldn't be lost so easily.  
  
Ayane jumped into one of the nearby trees and went from one tree to the other, trying to get an advantage on Kasumi from above.  
  
"Stop running and fight me!" Ayane yelled at her, jumping from the tree and tackling Kasumi from the air, bringing her to the ground.  
  
Ayane quickly stood, "Stand up and fight me, you runaway..." She slammed her heel into Kasumi's back; Kasumi grunted from the pain and pushed herself up from the ground.  
  
"I don't want to fight you and I won't!" Kasumi righted herself, and took a few steps back, "Why must we fight?" Ayane glared at her sister,  
  
"Why? Because you broke the rules!" Ayane yelled, "You left to look for Hayate! You knew it wasn't allowed!"  
  
A smirk crept onto Ayane's face, "But that's ok..." She said, stepping closer to Kasumi, "I'm almost glad that you runaway... because now I have a reason to fight you..."  
  
Kasumi took off running again; Ayane gave an agitated sound as she started to run after her again.  
  
The trees were becoming fewer and fewer, as the two ninjas reached the end of the forest, which dropped off to a steep cliff. Kasumi came to a halt at the cliffs edge.  
  
Now where would she go? She saw nothing but the cliff ahead of her, and Ayane closing on her from behind. Looking over the side of the cliff, Kasumi saw the fast moving waters of a white river. She didn't wish to fight her half-sister, no matter how much she disliked her, and the river was her only choice.  
  
Ayane was just coming out of the woods as Kasumi spread her arms and dived off the cliffs edge.  
  
"No! You're not getting away that easy!" Ayane dived after her, extending her arm trying to grab Kasumi, but she was too late. Both girls crashed into the water below.  
  
Ayane struggled against the waves, gasping for air as she tried to stay above the waters surface. She'd lost sight of Kasumi, and now the current was pulling her under. The waves tossed and pulled her in their grip.  
  
Darkness... All she could see was darkness...  
  
Ayane awoke to the sound of waves crashing against a beach; she lifted herself up on to her elbows and found herself alone, covered with sand and salt water. Quickly she looked around her for any traces of Kasumi, but she couldn't find one.  
  
_Damn it!_ Ayane pounded her fist against the beach, she was so close! _I could've finished her for once and for all!  
_  
Ayane stood and brushed the sand from her purple ninja suit. She looked out to the ocean. The mouth of the river emptied out to this beach. The waters surface looked calm under the moonlight...  
  
Could Kasumi have drowned? Ayane clenched her fist. She better not have... The pleasure of killing Kasumi was Ayane's... And Ayane would make sure that anyone who took the joy of Kasumi's death away from her would suffer a much worse fate...  
  
Note from Nashi:  
Hiya, Sorry for this being so short, but I thought it was a good place to end the first chapter. Feel free to tell me what you think. 


	2. Day before

Note-Hiya! Thank you all for the reviews! You made me so happy I decided to update! BTW, since Ayane is 16 don't you think she would be in high school? Or would she even bother with it? A ninja has to have a day job...  
  
Disclaimer- I do not own anything or anyone from Dead or Alive.  
  
Chapter 1: The Day Before  
  
Warm air blew through out Ayane's apartment from its open balcony doors. The sun was just rising and set a soft glow through out the apartment. The apartment itself seemed empty with its little furniture and hard wood floors.  
  
The living room had a sofa with a matching coffee table, while the small kitchen had a refrigerator, a sink, a stove that didn't even work, as it should, and a coffee maker. Down the hall from the kitchen, and beside the bathroom was Ayane's bedroom, with her twin bed, chest of ninja gear, and closet full of her clothes.  
  
Ayane had arrived home earlier that morning after walking home from the beach she woke up on. During her walk she noticed how sore she was, each part of her body seemed to ache. As soon as she got home she stripped off her soaked ninja suit and examined her body in the bathroom mirror.  
  
She had bruises scattered across her body from being thrown and beaten into the rivers walls by its violent waters. Diving into the white river probably wasn't the smartest thing to do... but she had to try to keep Kasumi in her sights.  
  
The bathroom held one of Ayane's favorite things in her apartment, the bathtub that stood separate from the floor on clawed feet. It had come with the apartment when she first moved in. Ayane had spent many nights soaking in the tub; it was one of the only places where she could let all her thoughts wander away from her.  
  
Ayane turned the water on and let the tub fill while she disposed of her soaked ninja suit into the hamper. She pulled her headband off her forehead and slipped into the water.  
  
Ayane laid her head on the edge of the tub, resting her feet at the opposite end. She closed her eyes and let the warm water ease away her soreness. All of that days events came back to her...  
  
It was in the early afternoon when Ayane had arrived at Hayate's estate, she was supposed to be in school, but she didn't see the use of going since she had already missed so many days dew to her life as a kunoichi, so she thought she would see if Hayate had any news on Kasumi yet.  
  
Upon entering the main gates Ayane could hear the excited cries of training students. One by one she walked past each training hall, some of the students turned to glare at the lavender haired girl, she didn't care about them staring at her  
  
_ Let them glare all they like..._ Ayane thought to herself. She was here to see her half brother... he was the only one who mattered.  
  
Ayane was now outside Hayate's room, which was located at the far end of the estate. She knocked gently on his door, when no response came she opened the door and let herself in.  
  
Hayate had always been neat, and his room showed it. The floors were the cleanest on the whole estate, and all of his belongings were put away neatly, and organized.  
  
Hayate wasn't here, and the doors to the garden had been opened. Ayane stepped outside and looked around for Hayate, but he was nowhere to be found.  
  
Hayate wasn't here... but someone else was... A lone figure that stood beside the koi pond. Since it wasn't Hayate it could only be one other person... The wind began to blow as the figured turned towards her. With his long, almond hair tied back in his usual manner, Ryu Hayabusa stood before her.  
  
"Ayane? What are you doing here?" Ayane noticed Hayabusa wasn't wearing his ninja armor; he was wearing normal clothes, a black t-shirt with black pants.  
  
_ God! Would it kill him to wear some color?_ Ayane placed her hand on her hip.  
  
" I could ask you the same thing, Hayabusa." Ayane walked over to the koi pond, Hayabusa stepped aside to give her space, "This is my brothers garden, and I have a right to be here."  
  
Ayane watched the fish scatter as she approached the ponds edge. Some of them had white bodies, while others were scattered with gold spots, but most of them were fully gold. "So Hayabusa, are you waiting for Hayate, or do you always come here to watch the fish?" She asked, without taking her eyes off the fish.  
  
Hayabusa shifted in his place, and looked at the surrounding trees. Ayane tilted her head to get a better look at him. He was taller then her, with a nice build like Hayate's, maybe even better then Hayate's...  
  
_ He does such intense training... no wonder his body is so..._  
  
"Yes, I am waiting for Hayate, I have some news for him..." This caught Ayane's attention. Hayabusa had news for Hayate?  
  
"Oh? What kind of news?" Ayane asked, pretending not to care. If it was what she thought it was, then this trip to see Hayate wouldn't be a complete waste.  
  
"Nothing you need to know..." Hayabusa said, not even bothering to turn around. That was cold, but Ayane didn't let it get to her. She was used to people being cold towards her...  
  
"Fine..." Ayane said, turning to go, " I'll be..." A noise in a nearby tree made her stop. Ayane quickly turned, finding the source of the sound to be a figure standing high above them on a branch. Hayabusa simply stood there.  
  
"He's returned..." The Figure leapt out of the tree and landed in front of Hayabusa. Ayane could now see who it was, her half-brother, the one she had come to see, Hayate. Dressed in his blue jeans and matching vest, he looked at Hayabusa, then to Ayane, raising an eyebrow.  
  
"Aren't you supposed to be in school?" Ayane shook her head.  
  
_ Figures... Can't he just say, "Ayane? Hello! How are you?"_ She just shrugged her shoulders.  
  
"I've missed so many days already, what's one more going to hurt?" Hayate let out a sigh and looked at Hayabusa, who, in return, just gave a knowing nod.  
  
"One day could determine if you graduate... " Hayate pushed his brown hair back from his eyes, an annoyed gesture Ayane remembered from childhood. "Anyway, Hayabusa and I have some business to take care of, is there anything you need?"  
  
"No, nothing, I just came here to see your cheerful face." Annoyed, Ayane turned and walked back into the house, through Hayate's room, and into the hallway. She had wanted to ask him about Kasumi...  
  
Ayane could here the two men come into Hayate's room. She leaned gently against a near by wall, making sure not to make a sound.  
  
_What's this business with Hayabusa anyway?_ Both guys shuffled around, then began to talk...  
  
"Have you had any word from her?" Hayabusa began.  
  
_Her? Does he mean...?_  
  
"Yes, in fact, I just met with her a few moments ago... " There was a brief silence, "She looked well enough, but I don't think she's been sleeping much... "  
  
"Sleeping would make her an easy target, did she tell you anything?" Hayabusa said, Hayate sighed.  
  
"Only that she would be ok and that I shouldn't worry... Oh, and she's been staying with a nice elderly woman on the edge of town, the old lady thinks she's her granddaughter... " The two had continued talking, but Ayane had stopped listening.  
  
_An old lady on the edge of town..._ This narrowed Ayane's search, she softly stepped away from the wall and crept slowly down the hallway until she was outside. Finding Kasumi would be easy now... All she had to do was scan the perimeter of the town... Kasumi would be hers...  
  
Ayane opened her eyes as she came back to the present time.  
  
Damn it! If only she hadn't loss Kasumi in the river, this would all be done and over with. She finished her bath, and got dressed in her school uniform. Today was a school day, so Ayane figured she would humor Hayate and go to school.  
  
Ayane looked into the fridge, found it to be barren, (except for the two ice cube trays) and decided on coffee instead, but after looking into the cabinet, Ayane remembered that she was out of coffee also. Hayate had put money into an account for her, a small portion of what he earned has a karate instructor, and so she would have to do shopping after school.  
  
Locking the front door, Ayane started down the stairs of her apartment building. With no food, nor coffee, her mood was on the bad side. Hopefully, no one would be dumb enough to tick her off...  
  
Note- Sorry it's been so long... I've been grounded... (And still am...) But I'm still working on this story, so keep reading! 


	3. Bad day

Disclaimer- Once again, I do not own anything or anyone from "Dead or Alive". But I do own the characters I made up. So there!  
  
Chapter 3:  
  
As soon as she arrived on campus, Ayane remembered why she didn't like to come to school... Because it was filled with idiots... tons of stupid, babbling, female students. There were no guys, it was an all girl school.  
  
Ayane mumbled profanities under her breath as she pushed her way though the busy hallway. A group of friends, who were strolling slowly infront of Ayane, chatted about what they had done at the mall the other day. If only she could throw the slow walking idiots out of her way... but that would mean trouble, and Ayane didn't feel like listening to one of the teachers babble about how a student should act.  
  
Class wasn't any better. In fact, it was worse! Of all the days she had to come to school, she had to come when she had Mr. Jones. A fat, bald pervert that taught her math class.  
  
"It's nice to see you've joined us today, Ms. Ayane. I take it you have a good excuse for missing serveral of my classes?" He said, clearly looking her over while waiting for her answer. Ayane gave him an annoyed look, wondering how hard she'd have to hit him for the window behind him to break.  
  
" I just thought I'd take a little vacation. This class stresses me out... " Ayane slammed her books onto her desk and took her seat. The fat man had made some remark but she just tuned him out. He wasn't worth listening to.  
  
"Pssst, Ayane!" Seating beside her was Mako, a girl that Ayane actually considered to be an O.K. person. " I took extra notes for you while you were gone." she said, handing Ayane a stack of papers. Mako had to be one of the smartest girls in the school.  
  
"Thanks. Anything new happen while I was gone?" Ayane shoved the notes into her bag.  
"Do you remember Chizu?"  
"The girl with the curly hair in our gym class?"  
"Yeah, well, she was taken out of school two days ago. Word is, she was skipping school with a boy!" Mako giggled at the thought. Ayane shrugged.  
"That's what happens when you go to an all girls school for so long. Good thing this is my first year here or else I'd go nuts." Mako looked at Ayane with an interested look.  
  
"Oh? So is there a guy you like? Is that why you miss so much school?" Ayane glared at Mako.  
"No."  
"Awww! Come on! You can tell me! Oh! I got it!" Ayane raised an eyebrow, wondering what Mako could be thinking. " It's a guy from your old school, isn't it? Someone you had to give up because you moved here. Oh Ayane! That's so sad!" Ayane shook her head. This girl needed to get out more. " I bet every week you take a couple of days off just so you can meet with him! You both go to a secret meeting place and... "  
"What are you talking about?! Quit making things up about me in your head!" Ayane yelled. The class had suddenly gotten quiet and everyone was looking at her. Mr. Jones was annoyed.  
  
"Are you done, Ms. Ayane?" He said. His face was red, possible from the anger of interrupted. It made him look like a roasted pig fresh from the oven.  
"I don't know," God she was sick of him, "Mako, do we have anything else to talk about?" Ayane retorted. Mako gave a shy little "No." and Mr. Jones continued his lesson. Ayane had felt bad about putting the young girl in the spotlight like that, but she'd apologize later. Mr. Jones wasn't teaching anything new, so Ayane figured she'd just put her head on her desk and try to sleep.  
  
But one thought nagged her. Did she have someone she liked? At once, Hayate came to mind. She had adored her older half-brother. He was so strong and powerful. When they were kids, he would always stand up for her, even when all of his friends got mad at him for it.  
  
Hayate wasn't the only one, Hayabuse also stood up for her. She never understood why though... Probally because she was Hayate's little sister. Yeah. Everyone knew how close Hayate and Hayabusa were. But Kasumi, on the other hand... she...  
  
The bell declairing class had ended rang clearly in Ayanes ears. She got all her stuff together and waited for Mako, who she told she was sorry.  
  
~~~*~~~  
  
Ayane got her shopping done just as the sun was begining to set. Her shopping bag swung to and fro from her arm. The super market had been hell. It was as busy as a hive of angry bees. One guy had even tried to take a carton of milk from her basket! But, with a swift kick to the shin, he would think twice before he tried that again.  
  
One by one the street lights came on. Highlighting the dark streets with their glow. Ayane was a block away from her apartment now, all she had to do was turn down this ally and ...  
  
"Hey there, girlie." A raspy voice called to her. From the shadows stepped a tall, lanky guy with greasy, shaggy hair that went to his shoulders. His clothes were dirty, probally from sitting in the ally. "Ya got any spare change?"  
  
"Sorry, I just spent all my money at the market. Ayane tried to step past him but he blocked her way.  
  
"That's o.k.," From behind her Ayane could hear two other guys step into the ally, "How 'bout you come an' keep me an' the boys company?" The two behind her began to laugh. The lanky one grabbed her wrist, "How 'bout it?"  
  
Ayane sat her shopping bag down. This jerk had picked the wrong day to tick her off. Ayane spun around to pull her arm free and landed a kick to the mans side in the process. He gave a yelp and fell to his knees, holding his side in pain.  
  
"You poor basturd... You had to catch me on a bad day..." With another kick, This time to his head, the man fell to the ground.  
  
The two behind her cursed and one of them rushed her. This one was shorter then the first guy, but a little taller then Ayane. He trew a couple punches, all of which she easliy dodged, stepped behind him, and ran her elbow into the back of his head.  
  
Now there was only one guy left. Ayane glared at him waiting for him to make his move. But this one seemed to be the smarter of the three. He turned and ran away.  
  
Ayane laughed to herself and walked back to pick up her bag. If only they had been smart enough to leave her alone. On her way out of the ally she kicked the first guy just for the hell of it. Poor fools, they had no idea how much she could've hurt them.  
  
~~~*~~~  
  
When Ayane got home she began putting away her groceries. A carton of milk, dozen eggs, orange juice, wheat bread, jam, rice, sugar, and most importantly, coffee. WIth everything put away Ayane changed into a pair of shorts with a large T-shirt, and layed down on the sofa.  
  
She sighed. First she had lost track of Kasumi, then she had to deal with Mr. Jones, the super market had been hell, and on the way home three idiots tried to rob her. Now all she needed was for her power to go out and she'd have a perfect evening to match her day!  
  
A soft breeze from across the room caressed Ayanes face. She sat up and looked at her balcony doors, which were open. ( Crap... did I leave these open the whole day? ) She got up and walked across the room to the doors and latched them. That was a stupid mistake. Someone could have broken in and stolen from her. Though, she thought as she looked around, they wouldn't find anything worth stealing.  
  
Note from Nashi~ Wa-hoo! Chapter three! I just updated last night and now I can update again! ( I actually wrote this chapter in school today, so pardon if it seems rushed.) More Hayabusa in the next chapter! See ya! 


	4. Off Track

Nashi's Note - Hello and sorry for the long wait. With being grounded and schoolwork, it's been hard finding time to write. Thanks to Wolf, Razzie, Kumoi, and everyone else for reviewing! All of you hold a special place in my heart! Maw ha... O.K.! Here it is! Chapter 4! Yay!  
  
Disclaimer- Once again, Tecmo, not me, owns Dead or Alive.  
  
Chapter 4  
  
A river ran deep into the forest, all the way to a great cliff. From the cliff the river jumped into a waterfall, crashing into the lake below. By the cliffs edge sat a child. Her kimono was dirty and torn from running through the forest. Her face was red, streaked by the constant flow of tears.  
  
"Mother..." The child sniffled, "Why did you have to go? Why?" She wrung the sleeve of her kimono; "I don't want to be here... Not without you."  
  
She hoped the waterfall would drone out her crying. The thought of someone finding her was unpleasant. Now that her mother was gone, no one would want her around. All the villagers hated her ever since she was born. They wouldn't dare hurt her under her mother's eye, but now...  
  
The sound of approaching footsteps startled her. She hadn't expected anyone to find her so quickly. What was she going to do? Should she run? One by one the footsteps came closer, until the owner of the feet stopped directly behind her.  
  
Before she could turn to see who the newcomer was, a hand placed itself gently on her shoulder. The kindness of the gesture eased the child's stiffness. It wasn't a large hand of an adult, the one that she had feared, but it wasn't small like her hands either. From behind her, the owner of the hand said in a soothing voice,  
  
"Are you alright?" The question repeated itself in the girl's head. Someone actually cared if she was ok or not? Slowly, the girl turned to see who this person was...  
  
*Buuuzzzzzzzzzzz! *  
  
Ayane jolted forward in her sheets, the sound of her alarm clock waking her. She reached over and pushed the stupid thing onto the floor, ending its buzzing. Damn it... Always at the end... The unfinished dream would probably nag her all day...  
  
Mumbling to herself she got out of bed and straightened her covers. She didn't bother to change out of her nightclothes; there was nowhere she had to go today. Her feet padded softly down the hallway and around the corner to the kitchen. Fresh coffee was waiting for her thanks to the "Auto" setting on her coffee maker. Ayane poured a cup, adding a good amount of milk and sugar, and headed for the living room.  
  
She couldn't remember what time she had went to bed last night. Only that she had stayed up looking over the notes Mako had given her. Ayane settled herself on the sofa and sipped her coffee. What was that dream about? Was she the little child who was crying? Who was the boy?  
  
"It's just a dream, a stupid, meaningless dream." Ayane said as she shook her head, banishing further thought about it. "All I need to think about is how I'm going to find that runaway again..."  
  
As if on cue, someone knocked on her door, startling her. Ayane set her coffee down and slowly got up. Someone knocking on her door was a rare occasion. She never had anyone over before, nor did she tell anyone where she lived. It was her kunoichi nature; never make it easy for someone to find you.  
  
Without making a sound she approached the front door and peeked through the seeing hole. To her astonishment, and relief, it was Hayate. Ayane unlocked the door and opened it far enough for Hayate to come in and closed it once he was out of the way.  
  
Hayate studied her living room absentmindedly; today he wore a normal pair of jeans and a white shirt. He walked to the sofa and sat down rather stiffly, he didn't bother to look at her, only to study the coffee table before him. Not a good sign...  
  
"So..." Ayane said, searching Hayate for any signs of agitation, "To what do I owe this visit?"  
  
"Why did you come to the estate the day before? What did you want?" Hayate took his eyes off the table and looked at her, "And don't say it was just to visit." Ayane felt a bit hurt by his last remark, but didn't let it show.  
  
"Oh? So I can't visit my own brother?" Anger flashed across Hayate's face.  
  
"Ayane, you don't 'visit' people, you go to someone only when there's something in it for you," Hayate shook his head and looked back at the coffee table, "Now, what did you want?"  
  
Hayate's words shook Ayane; she didn't go to him only when she wanted something. Sure, that had been the reason the day before, but she only used the excuse of wanting something just so she could see him...  
  
"Well?" He said the word with impatience, as if he'd rather be anywhere but here, in her living room. Ayane turned on her heel and stormed down the hallway to her bedroom, slamming the door behind her. She threw her back against the door.  
  
What nerve! He comes to her apartment, doesn't even give her a second glance, and then starts asking her questions in an annoyed tone? How could Hayate, her sweet, caring brother Hayate, be so rude to his own sister?  
  
Quickly she changed out of her nightclothes, and into a pair of pants and a black tank top. She grabbed her hairbrush and started to straighten her hair. Hayate's voice came from outside the door.  
  
"Ayane, that was incredibly childish." Hayate sighed, "Look, I'm sorry that I said that. But, it just seems that whenever you come to me, you're in need of something." There was a short pause. "Can you think of a time when you've come to the estate and simply asked to see me?"  
  
Ayane finished her hair and pulled on a clean pair of socks. She walked over to her bedroom door and opened it. Hayate stood there, his posture slumped, hands in his pockets, with a tired look on his face.  
  
"Why did you come to see me yesterday?" He asked again. His brown eyes looked tired, to tired for someone his age. Maybe it was the stress of being the Mugen Tenshin clan leader, or maybe it was from having to deal with her...  
  
"I went to see you..." Ayane said, "Truly, just to see you, brother." It was a lie, and she knew it, but she couldn't tell Hayate and his tired eyes that she only went to see him for information on the runaway. Hayate's eyes seemed brighten a little and he smiled, a small smile, but a smile still.  
  
"Ok, that's all I wanted to know." Hayate walked down back to the living room and Ayane followed, "I can't stay, I have some details with the clan to deal with." He made it to the front door and turned to her. "But I'll be off tomorrow, so how about we get together for launch?"  
  
"That would be great!" Ayane grabbed her shoes by the door and slipped them on. "By the way Hayate, how did you find me?" Hayate gave a small chuckle at the question.  
  
"Ayane, I'm the leader of the Mugen Tenshin clan." He tapped a knowing finger to his nose. "There are few things I don't know."  
  
"Pfft, you wish!" They both laughed as Hayate opened the door. Once they were outside they said their good-byes and headed in different directions. Hayate to attend to clan matters and Ayane to...  
  
Ayane stopped walking and looked around her. What was she doing? She hadn't even finished her coffee this morning! Stupid Hayate, he had thrown off her train of thought. But, it was nice seeing him. The image of his tired face came back to her, making her worry. Clan leader or not, even he needs rest.  
  
Images from her dream came back to her. The crying child, the waterfall, the little boy... Maybe Hayate was the boy... But that still didn't answer her question about the girl. Ayane shook her head, an action that seemed effective for dispelling the thought. If she was going to think about something, it wasn't going to be that stupid dream.  
  
The weather was nice, not to warm with a gentle breeze. So Ayane figured a walk would be nice. Even though she had been living in this area since the end of the second Dead or Alive competition, she hadn't taken the time to look around the area. Sure, she knew the streets and how to get where, but she didn't know all the little shops and cafés on each street.  
  
One by one she passed stores, each decorated with banners and signs declaring sales and what new items they had in. Each of the stores carried something different, but one store caught her eye. It was a two-story building, and wasn't decorated in flashy banners like any of the other stores. It only had a simple, hand painted sign; stating "Curio" sat above the door.  
  
Curio? Was it some kind of foreign store? She peeked in the window, trying to figure out what a 'curio' was, but the bright sunlight made the inside of the store dark. The front door held an "Open" sign on it, so it seemed further investigation would be possible. A bell hanging above the door rang as she walked in. As soon as her eyes adjusted to the store's lighting, she looked around.  
  
She was amazed by what she saw. This store didn't sell just one category of things, but rather, it had a range of one odd item to the next. From the display case of jewelry she'd had never seen before, to the exotic paintings hanging on the walls. No sign of any 'curios' she thought, but as she walked around, a display in the corner drew her attention.  
  
It was a display of foreign dolls in a large class case that hugged the wall. Each doll was different, from different nations and cultures, standing in little poses. Their hairstyles, dresses, even their little accessories made her, without even knowing it, smile with girlish wonderment.  
  
"Quite nice, aren't they?" said a male voice behind her. Ayane froze. Someone was standing directly behind her, maybe a little to the left. How the hell did he get so close to her without her noticing? Ayane turned, and was caught off guard by who she saw.  
  
Ryu Hayabusa... Of all the people she could've run into, it had to be Hayabusa, wearing a white collared shirt, with black dress pants. At least he's not decked out in all black, Ayane thought to herself.  
  
"What are you doing here?" Ayane said, trying not to sound to bratty, "A little afternoon shopping?" Hayabusa shook his head, making a hand gesture to the store around them.  
  
"I own this building, and this shop." He said, "What are you doing here?" Hayabusa walked over to a nearby shelf and rearranged some of the items on it, "A little afternoon shopping?"  
  
Darn it, didn't Hayate once tell her Hayabusa owned a shop? What were the chances that it would be down the street from her apartment, and that she would actually find it!  
  
"What I do is none of your business." She said, folding her arms, "I just happened to see this boring little shop and wanted to see what was inside." She tossed him a glanced to find that he was still rearranging the shelves.  
  
"And just what is a "curio"? I've looked all over this shop and haven't found one yet!" Hayabusa turned to look at her, a look of... Humor? She didn't even know Hayabusa could do humor!  
  
"Of course you haven't seen one. How can you see something when you don't know what it is?" He left the self and waved a hand around the store, "Everything you see in here is a curio." Ayane opened her mouth to say something, but Hayabusa raised his hand to halt her.  
  
"It's a word used for a shop full of bizarre and rare items." He gestured to the dolls. "Like these." Ayane felt stupid, incredibly stupid. She must have sounded like an idiot, ranting about curios. No wonder he looked so amused.  
  
"Oh... "She said more to herself then to Hayabusa, "Thanks for clearing that up..." Hayabusa went to what Ayane figured to be the stores counter, and took a seat behind it. "So, I guess that even super ninjas need a day job." He pulled out a novel and flipped to a marked page.  
  
"It pays the bills..." There was silence now. He was reading his book and she was just standing there. She didn't know much about Hayabusa. Only that he was leader of his own clan and allies with hers.  
  
So did that make him her ally also? She herself was only half Mugan Tenshin. The other half of her was Hajinmon, the art of her true father. Ayane was so deep in her thoughts she hardly noticed Hayabusa was talking to her. "What?"  
  
"I asked, if you were hungry." He said, not looking up from his book. Ayane gave him a puzzled look.  
  
"No, I'm fine. Why do you ask?"  
  
"I can hear your stomach growling from here." Ayane, totally embarrassed, looked down at her stomach. She could feel it rumbling inside of her, telling her she was an idiot for skipping breakfast. Thanks to Hayate...  
  
"My stomach is just mad at me for not feeding it. That's all." Hayabusa looked up from his book and over at her.  
  
"So you are hungry." Ayane could feel color come to her cheeks. Hayabusa stood and placed his book on the counter and walked to a door behind the counter, "Wait there" He said as he left through it.  
  
Wait there? Was that an order or something? Did he actually expect her to wait here while he went to do something? But, she had nothing better to do... She walked over to the front counter and rested her elbows on the glass. Her stomach growled again. "Oh shut up."  
  
"Excuse me?" Hayabusa had returned and was carrying something in on of his hands.  
  
"Sorry, not you, my stomach." Ayane could feel the heat in her face again. Stupid, stupid, stupid... Haybusa shrugged, and put a small basket in front of her. It was covered with a small white cloth. He lifted the cloth to reveal a pile of small muffins.  
  
"Try one, they're good." Ayane looked from Hayabusa to the muffins, back to Hayabusa. Hayabusa? Baking? She tried hard to suppress her laughter, but when an image of Hayabusa, the almighty super ninja, in an apron popped into her head she couldn't help it.  
  
Between her giggles she was able to say, "You? Baking? It's too much!" Hayabusa gave her a confused look.  
  
He left the basket on the counter and returned to his book, "I'm sorry to disappoint you Ayane. But I didn't bake those. They were a gift from an old lady who lives next door." Then after a pause, "Is it really that funny?" Ayane nodded her head, her laughter subsiding.  
  
There was a variation of muffins in the basket, and they all smelled great. That or her stomach was too hungry to care. She plucked a blueberry flavored one from the basket and nibbled on it.  
  
"Not bad." She remarked, which was an understatement. It tasted great! She might've skipped breakfast, even dinner for that matter, but it would've tasted great no matter what. She looked over to Hayabusa and found him looking at her. "What?"  
  
"Nothing, I just didn't expect you to pick that flavor." He said more to himself then to her, "You two seem to be complete opposites, and yet you're so alike. You even like the same muffin flavors." What the hell did that mean?  
  
"Who are you...?" Ayane stopped in mid-sentence. No, he couldn't be talking about... could he?  
  
"I'm talking about your sister..."  
  
"Half-sister!" She interrupted, her good mood gone. How did he know what flavor Kasumi liked? How much did he know about her half-sister? Did he see her regularly?  
  
"Of course," Ayane said to herself, "How could I be so stupid?" He protected her during the last tournament, why would any of that change now? Ayane set the muffin down and walked to the front door.  
  
"Sorry, Hayabusa, but I have to get going." She said it in a calm matter, not giving him any idea how angry she was, "I have a runaway shinobi to find." He didn't say anything as she left, or when she slammed the door, only looked at her with an indifferent stare.  
  
Ayane walked so fast the scenery around her blurred together. He was still protecting her. She knew it. Probably still under the order of her dear brother. She cursed under her breath. As soon as she found that runaway she would make her suffer...  
  
She stopped suddenly. Why was she so mad? So what if Hayabusa was protecting her? It was nothing new. Not like he just decided to do it to piss her off. Ayane continued walking. No one, not even Hayabusa, would stop her from killing Kasumi.  
  
She walked for a while, and since the sun was beginning to set on the horizon, she must've been walking longer then she thought. Now she stood outside the house that she had found Kasumi in on the night of their 'fight'.  
  
Ayane figured she would find out some information on Kasumi. She would just act like one of her friends and ask to be let inside.  
  
Though she could probably get all the information she ever wanted if she just asked Hayabusa. He seemed to know everything about her coward of a half-sister. The thought made her mad, she didn't know why, but it did. Stupid Hayabusa...  
  
It was a pleasant looking house, painted white with a blue trimming around the windows and door. As she walked up to the front door she noticed the different types of flowers planted along the sidewalk. Each one looked contempt with its place, swaying gently in the wind. The porch was large, covered in potted plants, with a rocking chair beside the front door.  
  
The night that Ayane had come here for Kasumi was dark, and she hadn't paid much attention to the decorations. She had spotted Kasumi taking out the trash for the old woman, which Ayane hadn't seen. However, before Ayane could strike, Kasumi had noticed her and ran off into the woods...  
  
Now Ayane wondered if Kasumi had come back. If she had then Ayane wouldn't let her get away this time... She knocked on the door and waited for a response. She could hear light footsteps behind the door.  
  
"Just a minute!" A voice said, too old to be Kasumi's. The door opened in front of her and a short, old lady greeted her. This must be grandma; Ayane smiled, "Yes? How may I help you dear?"  
  
"Good evening ma'am! I'm sorry it's a bit late, but I was wondering, is your granddaughter was home?" Ayane said in her sweetest voice, "She borrowed something of mine, and I'd like to get it back." The old woman smiled, and shook her head.  
  
"I'm very sorry, but my granddaughter has been gone for a few days." The old woman opened the door farther and stood aside so Ayane could walk in, "But you may check her room if you like. It's right up the stairs and on the left. Just try not to mess anything."  
  
"Oh, thank you so much!" Ayane smiled to herself, this was perfect. Maybe she could find some clue to where Kasumi may have went. But she felt disappointed that she couldn't take care of her here and now.  
  
She climbed the stairs and headed for the door on the left. It opened to an incredibly girlish room. The walls were pink, white lace hung over the windows, all the furniture was painted in a paler pink in contrast with the walls, and stuffed animals were pilled on the bed. The whole room made Ayane sick.  
  
Closing the door behind her she went further into the room. She looked under the bed, threw the stuffed animals off the bed and looked between the mattresses. "Nothing here..." she mumbled, throwing the animals back on the bed.  
  
Walking over to the vanity she spotted a small piece of paper stuck to the mirror. With further inspection she found it to be a restaurant check, on the back of it was an address and phone number. The address was... Hayabusa's store...  
  
The afternoon's events flashed through her head. Hayabusa, Kasumi's knight in shining armor. Ayane took the paper by its corners and ripped it in half, letting it float the floor. If she did find Kasumi, would she have to fight Hayabusa?  
  
She pushed Hayabusa from her thoughts and continued to search the room. A door opposite of the door she entered held a large walk in closet. She clicked on the light and started to look through the clothes racks. If she could just find... "Ah ha!"  
  
It was a school uniform; a sailor fuki with long sleeves. Ayane checked the shirt pocket and was once again rewarded with a school ID card, clearly stating the school's name and address; also... that it belonged to Kasumi.  
  
Ayane smirked, she had her now, and Kasumi would be hers, no problem...  
  
Ayane hurried back down the stairs, stuffing Kasumi's ID into her pocket, looking to see if the old woman was around. When Ayane didn't see her she opened the door and softly closed it behind her. Perhaps Lady Luck was smiling on her today.  
  
"Ayane?" The voice made her freeze in place. It couldn't be... Not here... Ayane looked up to see Hayate, looking at her with burning eyes.  
  
Or maybe... Lady luck had played her for a fool... 


	5. Not tolerated

Note- Chapter five, aw yeah.  
  
Mask- Well, Ayane's given age for DoA 3 is 16, seeing how I'm also 16 and a third year in high school, then yes, Ayane would still be in school.  
  
Chapter 5:  
  
"Ha... Hayate? What are you doing here?"  
  
"How dare you ask me that," His voice was a harsh whisper, "Why are you here?"  
  
Ayane began to talk, but he cut her off, "No, don't bother, I have a good idea why. Just tell me... Is she still here?" Ayane shook her head.  
  
"I see, and I guess I have you to thank for this?" He turned his back to her, she could see that his right arm was tense, his hand clenched in a fist.  
  
What was he so mad about? He should be happy that his sweet Kasumi had gotten away from her.  
  
"You will meet me at the estate in two hours, there we shall have a long talk..." He began to walk off.  
  
"Hayate, wait!" He didn't stop, just continued to walk, "Hayate!" She was left standing on the old woman's front porch.  
  
He probably came to see Kasumi, her mind told her. Ayane wanted to think of another reason that he could've been here, but no... he had come to see Kasumi. What did he think when, instead of Kasumi, he found her? Light footsteps came from behind her.  
  
"Oh my, I thought I heard voices." The old woman said, peeking outside her door. She looked at Ayane who was just standing there; "Did you find what you were looking for, dear?" She turned to the old woman and gave her a fake smile.  
  
"Yes ma'am, thank you for your help. I'll be going now." Ayane walked down the stairs, and hurried to get as far from the house as she could. Kasumi's ID was burning in her pocket, as if it were telling her what a fool she was.  
  
Sure, she'd gotten what she needed, but now the one person that she cared for was mad at her. Yeah, she found what she was looking for, but for what price?  
  
It didn't take her long to get home. She wasn't sure if she had walked or ran. Did it matter? She was home now... and in two hours she would have to face Hayate.  
  
"Great... just great..." She flopped onto the sofa and kicked her shoes off, resting her head on the armrest.  
  
Hayate must have figured out that she had eavesdropped on him and Hayabusa. He wasn't stupid... what would he say to her when she went to meet him? Could he punish her for eavesdropping? It's not like she meant to.  
  
What if she had asked him about Kasumi on that day? Would he have told her? Hayate wasn't the kind of person to lie to others, but with Kasumi involved, who knows what he would've done.  
  
Ayane sat up and pulled out Kasumi's ID. The picture on the ID showed Kasumi's face, smiling that sickening sweet smile of hers. God, it made her want to puke.  
  
Ayane grabbed a pen from the coffee table, where her coffee mug from this morning still sat, and started to gouge Kasumi's eyes. That will teach you, you little whore... She continued to draw a beard and mustache, not caring how childish it was. A growl from her stomach broke her trance of vandalizing Kasumi's ID.  
  
"Yeah, yeah, quit your complaining..." She threw Kasumi's ID, with her modifications, on the coffee table and headed for the kitchen. It would be best not to have to face Hayate on an empty stomach.  
  
After eating Ayane headed to her room and got out of her day clothes. She studied her body in the mirror, looking at the scattered bruises she got from the other days late night swim. They didn't hurt her; she hadn't even remembered she had them until she saw them.  
  
Their only purpose was to remind her that she had failed. Kasumi had gotten away and these bruises were laughing at her for it. "Damn it..."  
  
She went to her closet and pulled out her black ninja suit, dismissing the thought of her laughing bruises. No doubt everyone on the estate would be dressed in the nighttime grab, going out on missions, teaching younger clan members the ninja way. Stuff you wouldn't do in broad daylight.  
  
Of course, her suit was different from the others. She didn't wear the blue or soft burgundy of the Mugen Tenshin, but the black of the Hajinmon style. She slipped into it and pulled on her black headband. With one look in the mirror, she was ready to go!  
  
Or so she thought. She was welcomed at the front gate by one of the servants, though his welcome was only a small nod to acknowledge her; the expression he wore told her he would have rather been doing something else. He led her through the gates and to one of the small waiting rooms along the main hall.  
  
"You are to wait here, Hayate's order." Then he was gone, closing the door behind him. Ayane looked around the small six tatami-mat room. It held a small table surrounded by cushions to sit on, and there was a bookcase in the corner.  
  
"Yeah, like I'm going to sit here and read while I wait." How dare Hayate! Sending her to a waiting room like she was some outsider! Why did she have to wait in the first place? He told her to be here in two hours, and she arrived in two hours. So if he wasn't ready that was his fault!  
  
She went to the sliding door, opening it to find two ninjas outside looking at her. Both of them were dressed in the blue of the lower ninja, with their faces covered.  
  
"You are to stay here, Ms. Ayane." One of them said, the other gestured to the door, "Please return to the room." Not only did he make her go to a waiting room, but he even placed guards to make sure she didn't wonder off.  
  
"The hell I will..." She started to walk down the hall, but one of the ninjas got in her way.  
  
"It is Hayate's order that you wait here."  
  
"Well here's another order, get the hell out of my way." The ninja flinched under Ayane's glare, but still didn't move, she shrugged, "Fine then, your choice." She grabbed him by his arm and easily threw him behind her, sending him crashing into a wall. It took him a while to get on his feet again.  
  
"Maybe next time you'll think about who you're talking too." His partner was getting ready to attack her, but suddenly stopped, falling to kneel on the floor. The movement startled her, "What the..."  
  
"That's enough Ayane..." Came an all to familiar voice. God, she was tired of people coming up behind her. She turned to see Hayate decked out in his burgundy ninja gear. She couldn't see his face, only his eyes, which gave her a steely gaze.  
  
"You have some nerve, you know that? Sending me to a waiting room, you're the one who said be here in two hours, so what's the deal?" Hayate stood there, listening to her, and then he turned and started down the hall.  
  
"Follow me." He ordered, "I would like to talk somewhere less crowded." Ayane looked around her to see everyone who was currently in the hall looking at them.  
  
"Fine." Hayate led her to his room. He dismissed the guard at the door and waited for her to enter before he followed.  
  
Once again his room was perfectly neat, not a thing out of place. The door to the garden was open, allowing her to see the fireflies dancing outside around the pond. Hayate gestured for her to sit while he stood looking out into the garden.  
  
Ayane began to talk but he silenced her with a wave of his hand. "I have some questions I want answered." He looked at her from over her shoulder, "Truthfully."  
  
"What do you mean by truthfully? Do you think I'd lie to you or something?" Hayate turned to face her fully.  
  
"Yes, I do. You have already lied to me once today." Ayane opened her mouth but he put up his hand again. "When I came to see you today you told me that all you had wanted was to see me, but, in truth, you just came for information on Kasumi, didn't you?" Ayane fidgeted under his eyes, there would be no point lying to him.  
  
"Yes, but..."  
  
"And then you eavesdropped on my conversation with Hayabusa," Hayate had started to pace back and forth, "That's how you found out about that house, didn't you? You left for that house and challenged Kasumi, who, being herself, ran off to avoid conflict with you, correct?" Ayane nodded.  
  
He stopped pacing to look at her again, "But that leaves me with one other question, what were you doing there today?" What was she supposed to tell him? She could lie and tell him she knew the old lady that lived there, but he would probably see right through that.  
  
"I went there to find information on where she would've gone next..." Hayate shook his head as if he had been expecting that answer. There was silence now, a stiff, tense silence. Silence so thick you could cut it with a katana.  
  
His voice was a slight whisper, "Why are you so eager for Kasumi's blood, your own blood, on your hands?" He started to pace again, 'what has she done to drive you to act like this?"  
  
"She broke the rules! The very code that we live by!"  
  
"Don't give me that!" He was yelling now, something he rarely did, "I would expect that from any other member of this clan, but not you! Kasumi is your sister!"  
  
"Half-sister!" She yelled back at him. Hayate stared at her, there was a certain look in his eyes, one she couldn't place, and she didn't like it,  
  
"Yes, your half-sister, just as I am your half-brother. So tell me, if I were to run away, following Kasumi's example, what would you do?"  
  
"Hayate, you would never..."  
  
"Your right, I wouldn't, but what if I did? Would you hunt me down as you do Kasumi?" No, he wasn't really asking her this was he? He couldn't be. Ayane shook her head and looked at the floor. Hayate turned away from her.  
  
"From now on I forbid you to hunt Kasumi. You are not to fight, search for, or even think of her. If I find out that you have, then there will be punishment."  
  
"Hayate! What are you talking about? Everyone on this whole estate is after her life, so why are you saying this to me?" He looked at her coldly.  
  
"Because... I don't want her to die at the hands of someone like you..." He began to pace again, "I don't know what drives you on, I don't know what motivates you for wanting her dead, but she will not die at the hands of her half-sister."  
  
That hurt... worse then if he had stabbed her himself. Someone like you. What did that mean? She had done nothing wrong, nothing at all! Kasumi was the one who broke the rules. Ayane was just following the order given to the members of their clan. Find and kill the runaway.  
  
"All of the clan holds respect for Kasumi..." He continued, "If she hadn't run then she would now be clan leader. Tell me Ayane," He stopped and looked into her eyes, "Would you give her a honorable death?"  
  
Enough. He has no right to be asking this, "What about me, Hayate? I'm your sister too! What about my feelings?" She was screaming at him, she didn't mean to, but she was.  
  
"All you care about is Kasumi! She kills more and more of our clan each day, Hayate! And you just let it slide! Don't you care?"  
  
"She does so in self defense. Each ninja here knows the risk they take when they..."  
  
"Stop justifying her actions!" She wanted to cry, but she wasn't going to, "Tell me Hayate, what are you going to do when someone finally kills her? Will you fly into a rage and murder her assassin? Does anyone on this estate even know your true feelings? That you don't care if they all die as long as your sweet, little Kasumi is safe?"  
  
He looked at her for a long moment. His eye's stayed the same, not showing any emotion. His silence was driving her mad, "Say something, you prick!"  
  
"Get out." His voice was shaking with anger, "Your remarks will no longer be tolerated, leave the estate at once."  
  
Tatami Mats- Floor mats made of reeds. In Japan, tatami mats are so common that the number of tatami mats it would take to fill them measures room sizes. Each mat should be 3' x 6' in size. 


	6. Hold on

Note- Well now, aren't you the lucky ones? Two chapters in one day! He-he.  
  
Disclaimer- you all should know by now that I DO NOT own anything or anyone from Dead or Alive.  
  
Chapter 6:  
  
Ayane couldn't remember how she had left; only that she had run. Ran through the whole estate, not bothering to notice all those she ran by, and she was still running, deeper and deeper into the forest. It was now night and if there hadn't been a moon tonight then she would be running into complete darkness.  
  
She was sick of always being 'tolerated', and never being wanted. It had always been that way, ever since she was little. But she never thought Hayate would be like that. Not like all those who dared to say so when she was younger.  
  
He always protected me why did that change? After mother died, everything had changed. Hayate and Kasumi's father just ignored her, while he further taught his children in the Mugen Tenshin style. Hayate grew distant and started to focus more on his studies, and Kasumi went on being the same old sweet suck up that she was, but since mother was gone, she spent most of her time kissing up to Hayate and the rest of the clan members.  
  
They all loved Kasumi, she had the true bloodlines of the Mugen Tenshin, and it wasn't tainted like Ayane's.  
  
If it weren't for Genma, her foster father, then she would have been completely alone.  
  
Ayane stopped running and leaned against a tree to catch her breath. With her heavy breathing a strand of her purple hair fell in front of her eyes. She remembered a time when she used to have the same color hair as Kasumi's. They both had their mothers auburn hair.  
  
That was another thing that changed after her mother's death. She dyed her hair when she started to train in the Hajinmon style. Not brown or blonde, but a color that truly stood out, one that told every one that she was different.  
  
Purple, the same shade as a kimono her mother had owned. Ayane fell in love with the color and how beautiful her mother looked in it. It was the same kimono her mother had been buried in.  
  
Ayane slid down the tree to sit at its base, the ground was dry, so she wouldn't get that dirty. She sat with her back to the tree, laying her legs in front of her. What happened after she started training?  
  
That's right... Hayate had been kidnapped.  
  
It was only his second mission as a full Shinobi. One of the ninjas who was on his team reported that he had been captured. The whole clan was in an uproar. But... they could do nothing. Fore a captured ninja was considered a dead ninja.  
  
Ayane remembered how much she had cried, how she wished she could leave to look for him. But to break such an old rule meant death. If anyone saw her leave they wouldn't have hesitated to kill her. She hadn't have the strength or the courage...  
  
Not like her, not like Kasumi... Ayane cursed under her breath, "Never like fucking Kasumi..."  
  
Kasumi hadn't given it a second thought. She had left on the same night they heard. She had left, and sealed her fate.  
  
Ayane didn't see either of them again until the second Dead or Alive tournament, where she went to kill Kasumi, and, with a little hope in her heart, to see if Hayate was there.  
  
But she didn't get far. She had found Kasumi, but was given a humiliating defeat, being left to think about how she failed in the freezing cold. She learned later that both Hayate and Hayabusa were in the tournament.  
  
Hayabusa had defeated Hayate, and reminded him of whom he was. This was what Hayate told her when she returned home, Ayane was grateful to Hayabusa for what he did. Hayate didn't know who she was at first, which made her depressed during his first week home, but soon he remembered and it had been like old times again.  
  
But, once again, Kasumi ruined it. Hayate's father had passed away while he was gone, and Kasumi had runaway, it left him as leader of the clan, and the first thing he had to do was issue the assassination for the runaway, his own sister.  
  
Since then, he had become cold to her. He didn't see her daily like he used to, he stopped dropping by to chat about the clan and daily events. She only saw him when she needed something from him.  
  
He had put money in an account for her, so she didn't have to live at the estate anymore. She had moved out and into her own apartment where she lived now, she separated herself from the estate and him.  
  
Damn it... How dare he treat her like he did tonight? She would expect that from anyone else from the clan, but not him. He was her brother...  
  
"Half-brother" She reminded herself, ignoring the urge to cry.  
  
Ayane reached into her suit and pulled out a small knife she kept in a hidden pocket. The blade gleamed in the moonlight, as if it was saying, "Good evening! How are you? You feel like cutting stuff up?"  
  
She laughed as she pulled up her left sleeve and introduced the blade to her flesh, making a shallow cut along her fore arm. How refreshing she thought, the cut sent a burning sensation through out her arm.  
  
"Hayate couldn't care less about me..." She made another cut, this time running from her elbow to her hand, sending blood dripping to her fingers.  
  
"He loves Kasumi, he loves his 'full' sister..." Another cut, not as long, but deeper this time, sending more blood to join the pool that was forming.  
  
"The whole clan loved her, they all hate me..." Another cut.  
  
"Hayabusa probably loves her too..." Ayane stopped, holding the blade above her bleeding arm. Why the hell would she care if Hayabusa loved her bitch half-sister? It's not like it mattered or anything. He was just one more person on her side.  
  
"Him and his damn muffins." She mumbled, standing up from the tree and walking deeper into the forest.  
  
Damn it, why did Ayane have to be so difficult?  
  
Hayate sat beside the pond, examining a rock he picked up. "Is it so hard to understand that I'm having trouble carrying out my sister's death sentence?" He cursed and threw the rock into the pond, scattering the koi who had gathered there.  
  
"Being mad doesn't give you the right to take it out on the fish..." From behind him came a rustling of leaves and, without looking, he could tell that Hayabusa was standing behind him, wearing his black ninja gear, "Would you care to tell me of your troubles?"  
  
Hayate explained the situation with Ayane and sighed, "I just don't know what to do..." Hayabusa took a seat beside him and stared at the garden around them. His emerald eyes seemed to glow in the faint light.  
  
"You have two sisters," He began, "One whom you love very much, but has runaway because of you, therefore making her exiled from her clan. And the other, who you also love, is trying to kill the your oldest sister."  
  
"Are you trying to help me?" Hayate asked, giving his friend an annoyed look.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Well, your not." They sat there in silence, listening to the summer bugs chirp their night songs. "Ayane has many reasons for wanting Kasumi dead... but she'll only say it's for the clan, and I know that's a lie." Hayate sighed, "I feel like this whole day she's done nothing but lie to me..."  
  
"Do you have any ideas to where Kasumi would've gone?"  
  
"I was going to ask you that." Hayate shook his head, "Until she contacts us again we'll just have to hope she's ok."  
  
"What about Ayane?"  
  
"What about her? She ran off into the woods after I told her to leave." Hayate wasn't worried about Ayane. She wasn't the one who was being relentlessly chased after by assassins.  
  
"Don't you think that after your little talk she'd be a bit emotional? She can be rather rash sometimes..." Hayate cursed.  
  
"Your right. Would you mind...?"  
  
"I was just on my way." With that, he disappeared into the night.  
  
Ayane staggered forward, catching herself on a low tree branch.  
  
Stupid... Couldn't you have waited until you got home to mutalize you arm? At least there you have a first aid kit, and you wouldn't have to be wandering aimlessly around this stupid forest because you're to light headed to think of which direction your heading.  
  
With more cursing and stumbling into near by trees Ayane decided to give up and just wait until morning. She ripped off her sleeve and wrapped it around her forearm.  
  
What the hell was she thinking? I'm sad and I don't want to cry so I'm going to make myself bleed to get my mind off crying! Yeah, real smart...  
  
Her arm was coated in her blood, glistening in the moonlight. "Gee, wish I had a camera. I could send a picture to Hayate with a little caption on the back; you made me sad so I cut myself. Isn't it pretty?" She laughed thinking how his face would look.  
  
A strong wind shook the trees around her, and before she could see him, Hayabusa was standing beside her, looking down at her arm.  
  
"Where the hell did you come from?" He didn't say anything to her, only knelt down to look closer at her arm. He shook his head and removed her now drenched sleeve from her arm. Ayane swatted at him with her free hand.  
  
"Go away! What do you think your doing?" He ripped the front part of his shirt and tried his best to bandage her arm while she kept trying to hit him, "I said piss off! Ow! That hurts you son of a..."  
  
"Ayane," He said, bringing his green eyes to met hers, "I don't know if your aware of this or not, but you've done something really stupid. Now stay still so I can try to stop the bleeding."  
  
"Who are you calling stupid?" Ayane said to one of the currently three Hayabusas in front of her, "Now which ones the real you? Hurry up and tell me so I can hit you!" Her voice was weak, like someone who was incredibly tired.  
  
"Ayane? Ayane!" Her head had fallen limply to her chest. Hayabusa checked her pulse. It was faint, but at least it was still there, "Just hold on Ayane..." He gathered her in his arms and started to run out of the woods. "Just hold on..." 


	7. Bed rest

Nashi- Hey guys! I'm sorry about the last chapter, I had used some marks to show that there was a change of P.o.v. but for some reason they didn't show up. Soryy! Also, When I upload my chapters, all the indentions I made seem to disappear... What's up with that?  
  
Oh, one more thing, I'm not grounded anymore! Take that, Advanced Chemistry! ::strikes a pose and laughs in triumph::  
  
Chapter 7:  
  
"Mommy..." the girl cried, sitting beside the waterfall for comfort. Once again there were footsteps behind her, and that same caring voice.  
  
"Are you ok?" Once again the question repeated itself in her mind. But this time instead of turning to see who had asked her, she just continued crying.  
  
"No, I'm not ok... I'm not..." She cried into her kimono's sleeve, "Mommies gone... and now brother is mad at me..." The stranger behind her hugged her close.  
  
"It's ok, little one. It will be all right." The voice was soothing, more then any voice she had ever heard, though most voices she ever heard were nothing but scornful. But still, it wasn't going to be ok...  
  
"Not... ok..."  
  
"Ayane?" The voice woke her from her dream. She was lying down, covers pulled up to her chest, still dressed in her ninja suit, and that voice was, oh god, could it really be who she thought it was?  
  
_No way... I'm going to open my eyes and I'm going to be in my bed, that voice is going to be Hayate, who went looking for me after our fight to apologize, but then he found me bleeding and brought me home... Yeah, that's it._ Slowly, she opened her eyes.  
  
And found that she was in a bed, but it wasn't hers... she wasn't even in her apartment! Ayane jolted forward only to be pushed back down.  
  
"Save your strength, you've lost a lot of blood." Ayane looked up from the pillow to see Hayabusa sitting beside the bed, a book in one hand and the other on her shoulder, holding her down, "How are you feeling?"  
  
Ayane looked around the room, which was larger then her bedroom. The room was dark, the only light coming from a window opposite from the bed. Judging by the amount of light she guessed it was early morning. How long had she been out?  
  
"Where am I?" She asked, ignoring his question, "And remove your hand from my shoulder, it hurts." Ayane looked over to her arm to see that her forearm was wrapped in a bandage. She tried to move it but Hayabusa laid his hand on it to keep it still.  
  
"Ow! Damn it, Hayabusa! Didn't I just say that my arm hurts?" She glared at him, though he wasn't really hurting her, but having his hand on her arm made her nervous.  
  
."If you can feel pain you must be fine. To answer your question, you're in my house." His house? She looked at the large bed with its white sheets and blue comforter. Oh god... That meant that she was in Hayabusa's bed!  
  
He removed his hand , setting his book on the nightstand, and undid the bandage, revealing four vertical cuts running along her arm. It looked pretty sick, as if some monster with jagged claws had slashed her.  
  
_It's my fault it looks like that..._ she thought. _No, better yet, it's Hayate's fault! Yep! I blame him for making me so upset! If he hadn't been such a prick then I wouldn't have done this...  
_  
Hayabusa shook his head and got up from the chair he had been sitting on, walking outside the room and coming back with a first aid kit.  
  
"How did you find me?"  
  
"I followed the trail of blood." Hayabusa set the kit down on the nightstand and opened it.  
  
"Why the hell did you bring me here?" He took out a dark glass bottle and a bag of cotton balls.  
  
"I don't know where you live and I was sure you didn't want to go back to the Mugen estate, seeing how you and Hayate are fighting. So I brought you here." Ayane raised an eyebrow and watched as he unscrewed the bottle and poured its contents onto a cotton ball.  
  
"Don't you think it would've been smart to take me to the hospital instead?"  
  
"It was too far, you could've bled to death before I reached it. Now let me see you arm." Ayane sat up and, as best as she could, pulled away from him.  
  
"Is that going to sting? Just what is it?" She pointed to the cotton ball he held.  
  
"Maybe... It's Peroxide." He sounded like he didn't care if it did or not.  
  
"Then I don't want it..."  
  
"This will keep your cuts clean." He reached for her arm but she turned her back to him, protecting her arm.  
  
"So will soap and water, and they don't sting."  
  
"It will kill any germs and prevent infection..."  
  
"Soap can do that too."  
  
"Stop being stubborn and give me your arm, Ayane."  
  
"Make me!"  
  
Hayabusa sighed and grabbed her by the shoulder, easily forcing her back down on the bed. Ayane's head hit the pillow with a soft 'thump'. He applied just enough pressure to keep her down, but she still struggled.  
  
"Get off me Hayabusa, ow, ow! That hurts, damn it!"  
  
"It would hurt less if you just stayed still Ayane." He said as he gently stroked her cuts with the cotton ball, cursing as a small line of blood formed on one of her cuts.  
  
"Darn it, Ayane, all your movement caused a cut to reopen." He reached for the nightstand and traded the cotton ball for a cloth, which he pressed down on her cut. "I don't think you can afford to lose anymore blood, so just try and relax."  
  
"How long are you going to hold that there?" She nodded to the cloth.  
  
"Until the bleeding stops."  
  
"I can't relax with you hovering over me." Hayabusa looked away from her arm and to her face. His green eyes showed no hint of emotion, perfect for a ninja...  
  
"Well try."  
  
"Can't you just use a bandage?" Crap, she could feel her face get warm.  
  
"I don't trust a bandage to stay in place." He returned his focus to her arm.  
  
"Then let me hold it."  
  
"You're too weak to apply the right amount of pressure. Just leave it to me Ayane, you need to rest." Rest? How did he expect her to do that? Here she was, in his bed, with him close enough she could feel his breath on her arm. No, she couldn't rest like this...  
  
He was studying her arm, poking certain muscles and glancing at her for a reaction. "Does it hurt when I do this?" He grabbed her behind the elbow and lifted her forearm to a ninety degree angle, then slowly back down.  
  
"No, my arm just burns from your fraggin' peroxide!"  
  
"Good, then your muscles should be fine." Hayabusa lifted the cloth from her arm to find the cut had stopped bleeding. "I was worried that you might have torn your muscles with that knife of yours."  
  
"Yeah, like I'd be that stupid, and what do you care about my muscles?" Hayabusa took a new bandage from the kit and wrapped her arm tightly.  
  
"Cutting yourself in the first place wasn't that smart." He finished with the bandage and got up to put everything back into the kit, save for the cotton ball and bloody cloth, he threw those away.  
  
"Thanks for the reminder." She mumbled, turning away from him to cradle her arm, damn peroxide. From behind her Hayabusa had gotten up and walked over to the window, pulling the curtains closed.  
  
"I have to leave now, stay in bed and rest, I'll be back soon." He walked out of the room and closed the door behind him.  
  
"Hey! Wait!" No response. Where the hell was he going? Why was he leaving her alone now, alone in his house, alone in his bed...  
  
"I can't believe this." She slammed her good arm on the bed, looking at the ceiling. _Why was he in the forest last night anyway? Had he been on a mission? Or did Hayate send him?  
_  
"Kasumi's your sister!" Hayate's words shouted at her. So what? It's didn't change the fact that she had run away. Everyone else was after Kasumi's life, why couldn't she, the one that actually had a good reason to kill her, hunt her down?  
  
"Hayate, you're a jerk..." Ayane pulled the sheets over her head. They were soft against her burning skin and they smelt... clean... these were the same sheets Hayabusa slept in...  
  
Ayane threw the sheets off her and sat up, her head throbbing in protest. _What am I doing? I can't just sit here all day! Screw Hayate! I'm going to find Kasumi and kill the little whore!  
_  
She sat there, listening to the surrounding building. It was quiet, very quiet. Even if Hayabusa was moving around downstairs she probably wouldn't hear him. _He's a ninja! How much noise could he make?  
_  
But then, a door, downstairs she guessed, closed. She waiting a good ten minuets until she was sure Hayabusa was gone. Then she slid to the side of the bed and set her feet on the floor.  
  
She looked around for her shoes and found them beside the bed. Once she slipped them on she attempted to stand, but fell back on the bed again, her legs tingling from their long nap.  
  
"Great, they're asleep!" Ayane pounded on them with her hand. "Stupid legs! Who said you could sleep?" she started to stomp her feet until they stopped tingling. Once again she tried to stand up, this time she was able to stay standing, though a bit wobbly.  
  
She wobbled her way to the bedroom door and peeked out into the hallway. With the coast clear she continued into what she thought to be the living room with a kitchen connected to the it, separated by a bar in the middle. There was a closet in the hallway, with the bathroom next to it.  
  
She only had one door left to check, and sure enough, it was the stairs leading down to the shop. Gradually she took the steps one at a time, holding onto the rail. The throbbing in her head was growing more intense with each step.  
  
_I couldn't have lost that much blood, could I? If so, then I should be dead! At least then I wouldn't have this stupid headache!_  
  
On the last few stairs she lost her balance and fell to the carpet below, trying her best to land on her 'good' arm, which she did, if that was something to be happy about.  
  
She mumbled profanities as she picked herself up. Damn it! She wouldn't be able to kill Kasumi if she died from Hayabusa's damned stairs!  
  
Standing up she stumbled to the front door and turned the handle, giving her a satisfying 'click' as it opened. Peeking outside she could see that no one was on the streets yet. Everyone in this area must still be asleep, so she started in the direction of her apartment, still wobbling.  
  
"Once I get home I'm going to take a bath, get dressed, then I'm going to find Kasumi's school and beat the shit out of her." She nodded, agreeing with the course of action. "And there's nothing Hayate can do about it... Now if only my head would stop throbbing..."  
  
The ground before her was slowly starting to spin, in fact, everything was spinning! A wave of dizziness swept over her, stopping her in her tracks.  
  
"Just keep walking..." She leaned on the wall of Hayabusa's building and walked along it. _Just keep walking, it won't take long to get home, just don't pass out, please don't pass out. _God, she felt sick...  
  
But in the next moment, she didn't feel anything. Nothing hurt, nothing was spinning, and everything felt still. She closed her eyes, feeling unbelievably tired... Ayane fell to her knees, and then continued to fall flat on the sidewalk, mumbling to herself,  
  
"Should have stayed in bed..." 


	8. Poor girl

Note from me! - Hey! Sorry it's been so long! My friend let me borrow his Xbox and I've been playing DOA3, DOA: XBV, and Ninja Gaiden ever since... but I've torn myself away from the T.V. screen, (And Hayabusa's yummy third outfit) to update. So feel special!  
  
Random Note- What the hell does 'Mugen Tenshin' mean? 'Mugen' means 'Eternity; Infinity', But I couldn't find 'Tenshin'. The only thing that comes close is 'Tenshi' and that means 'Angel'. So could it mean 'Eternal Angel'?  
What about Hajinmon? 'Haji' means 'shame; disgrace'. Mon can mean 'gate' or 'family crest'... Argh... got to study more...  
  
Wolf- yep, she should've listened to Hayabusa, but hey, this is Ayane we're talking about. She's not just going to sit there quietly and behave. Hayabusa's lucky she didn't vandalize something on her way out... Heh...  
  
Kurmoi- Whoa, people use peroxide to bleach their hair? And here I thought its sole purpose was for my mother's twisted pleasure of putting it on my cuts and watching as I scream in agony... I'll tell you what though; it makes me twice as cautious around sharp objects... Damn Peroxide...  
  
One Last Note- I love coffee...  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------  
  
Chapter 8:  
  
He didn't like to leave her alone like he had, but he needed to talk to Hayate. He had a right to know what Ayane had done to herself; he was her brother after all.  
  
"It looked pretty bad when I found her. She had lost a lot of blood, but I think she'll be fine now..." Hayabusa said, sitting across from Hayate in a café not to far from his shop. It was still early morning so besides a man at the counter, the place was empty.  
  
Hayate sat with his head in his hands, no longer wearing the annoyed expression he had arrived with, "Are you sure she wasn't attacked?" Hayabusa nodded, his arms crossed over his chest.  
  
"The knife was still in her hand when I found her, the blood still wet on the blade." Hayate shook his head and looked up at his friend.  
  
"Maybe she had fought back and stabbed the person that attacked her." Now it was his turn to shake his head.  
  
"No Hayate, she wasn't attacked, there were no signs of her having struggled with anyone and only her arm was hurt. Ayane had cut herself, there's no way around it." Hayate sighed and looked at the coffee sitting in front of him.  
  
"When you called and said we needed to talk about Ayane, I didn't expect you to tell me she hurt herself... Hurt someone else, sure, but not herself..."  
  
"It seems what you said to her upset her a great deal." Hayate said nothing; they sat there in silence for a while. Hayate studied his coffee and Hayabusa looked out the window they were sitting next to.  
  
"It may have upset her, but it's the truth. I don't want her to kill Kasumi. She says it's for the clan but I know it's more then that..."  
  
"So what are you going to do?"  
  
"I don't know..."  
  
"You could try talking to her about it."  
  
"Really Ryu, do you think Ayane would sit there and listen to me?" Hayate pushed away from the table and stood up, "No, she'd probably tell me to go to hell... I've have to get going, call me later."  
  
He didn't bother to stop him, only watched his friend's back as he left through the cafe's doors. His shoulders were slack with his hands in his pockets, if he could see his face there's no doubt it would have the look of worry.  
  
_One sister is running from the assassins he himself had to send and the other sister, half-sister, has an inferiority complex and wants to kill her half-sister herself. She won't tell Hayate her true reason for doing so, but I'm sure he knows...  
_  
He stood and was preparing to leave when the waitress tapped his shoulder.  
  
"Excuse me, sir. But your friend forgot to pay for his coffee." She held out her hand, her foot tapping. Hayabusa shook his head and pulled out his wallet.  
  
_ Same old Hayate..._  
  
---------------  
  
"Ow..." It was the only thing she could say. Her head hurt as if something was drumming on her skull. She laid face down on the rough pavement, trying to think, but with each thought the drumming grew louder.  
  
_Ok, so I'm outside of Hayabusa's shop... Ow! Damn head... It's still early so I shouldn't have to worry about anyone seeing me on the ground, but Hayabusa said he would be back soon. Crap, I have to hurry up and get out of here before he gets back...  
_  
Placing her hands beside her, she pushed at the sidewalk as if she was trying to do an extremely hard push up... Her body felt like lead and just moving her hands had been a test of her strength.  
  
Sudden footsteps startled her, stopping her in her attempt to get up.

_Crap, please don't let it be Hayabusa, he'll give me that dull stare of his and shake his head at me. Just let it be someone who will help me up and mind his or her own business..._  
  
It wasn't Hayabusa who turned the corner in front of her, but she instantly wished it had been. Turning the corner in front of her were the three scumbags she had encountered the other night, they were wearing different clothes, but the lanky one still had greasy hair...  
  
Maybe if I just lay here they won't notice me...  
  
Fat chance, as soon as they turned the corner they stopped dead in their tracks, looking at her.  
  
"Hey! Ain't that the same girl from the other night, the one that attacked us?"  
  
"Well, we did attack her first..."  
  
"Shut up!" The lanky one pushed her onto her back roughly with his boot. Ayane tried not to groan from the pain, but the ass had drug his boot into her hurt arm.  
  
"Yep, it's the same bitch, my, my, how the tables have turned." His voice sounded amused, and she didn't like it, "What's the matter, girlie? Feeling under the weather? To bad..."  
  
He kicked her, hard, in the ribs. Ayane tried to twist away from him, clutching her ribs in agony. She opened one of her eyes and glared at him, but he only smiled at her.  
  
"So what are we going to do with her?"  
  
"What do you think? We're going to mess her up so bad, no one will recognize her." What was she going to do? She could glare at him all day, but it wasn't going to help her.  
  
"Stop lookin' at me like that!" He kicked her again, but she twisted in time to avoid him hitting the same spot twice.  
  
"Go to... hell..." She said the words between clenched teeth. The pain in her ribs searing through her chest.  
  
"Bold words coming from someone in your position, sweet heart." He laughed at her.  
  
"Come on; let's pull her into the ally." The man moved to grab her but was stopped by a strong voice behind him.  
  
"Step away from the girl," Ayane turned her head the best she could, barley seeing Hayabusa's outline behind her assailants. "Now."  
  
It had surprised him that was for sure, seeing Ayane on the ground and those thugs standing around her.  
  
Why is she outside? I told her to stay in bed...  
  
The taller one, the leader probably, gave him a look, which was supposed to be menacing, he guessed.  
  
"Listen, pretty boy. This is between us and the girl, so how about you just mind your own business and start walkin'." The fool had made the mistake of looking back at Ayane and was instantly floored by Hayabusa's heel.  
  
Ayane looked up, seeing him standing there. His foot was placed firmly in the idiot's back and there was a small paper bag under his arm. The other two gave surprised gasps and ran at Hayabusa.  
  
The first to reach him swung for Hayabusa's head only to be dodged and have Hayabusa's knee rammed into his stomach, followed by a kick to his back, placing him next to his leader on the ground.  
  
The third tried for a kick to his side, but missed and was thrown down, landing on top of the other two. Hayabusa stood over them; the paper bag still neatly tucked under his arm.  
  
"No, I suggest you listen." His voice was low, almost dangerous, "If you ever come near this girl again I'm not going to be so nice and let you leave intact. Now, I want you to get up and start running..."  
  
They didn't complain, only stumbled over each other and started to run. He stared after them for a while before looking down at Ayane. It was a dull look followed by him shaking his head.  
  
_Ha! I knew he would do that!_  
  
"I told you to stay in bed," He said as he knelt beside her, "Are you ok?" She rolled from her side and on to her back to get a better look at him.  
  
"My head's throbbing, my arm still burns, and that asshole kicked me in my ribs. So yeah, I'm just dandy."  
  
"That's what I thought... hold this." He handed her the bag he was holding and lifted her off the ground with ease.  
  
"Whoa! I can stand on my own! Put me down!"  
  
"If you can stand then why were you laying on the ground just now?"  
  
"I felt dizzy and... passed out..." She mumbled the last part under her breath, hating to admit that she had done so, but he didn't say anything, only walked towards the front door.  
  
Her legs were dangling over his left arm while his right held her beneath her arms. He was remarkably gentle, not applying any pressure, just letting her lie in his arms.  
  
"You're going to have to open the door," He bent his knees slightly so she could reach the doorknob, but when she turned it, it didn't open.  
  
"It's locked..."  
  
"The keys are in my right pocket, can you reach them?" Ayane looked at his shirt, no pockets there... So it had to be in his pants pocket.  
  
"Can't you reach it?" She could feel her face getting warm.  
  
"Not while you're in my arms, I could drop you and I don't think that would be pleasant for either of us."  
  
_What does that mean?_ Ayane set the bag in her lap and reached up to wrapped her arms around his neck. The movement startled Hayabusa but he didn't say anything,  
  
"There. Now you can use your arm without worrying about dropping me."  
  
This brought her closer to Hayabusa then she had ever been before, her face just inches from his neck. She could feel the muscles in his shoulder move as he reached into his pocket to fetch his keys. And he smelled really good... like... coffee?  
  
She looked up at his face and saw that his full attention was on the door. His eyes were a vibrant shade of green, and his skin had a healthy tan. Little wisps of his almond hair had escaped his ponytail, trailing over his ear. Her hand itched to reach up and tuck them behind his ear...  
  
_What the hell are you doing? Snap out of it and stop looking at him like that! This is Hayabusa! Kasumi's knight in shining armor! Who cares if he's hot? He's on Kasumi's side!  
_  
The door soon opened with a soft click. He deposited his keys into his pocket and brought his arm back to hold her, knocking her out of her trance.  
  
"You can let go if your arms hurts." She let her arms fall back to their dangling state, dragging her eyes away from Hayabusa. He walked passed the door and kicked it closed once they were inside.  
  
He started to climb the stairs and took her back to the bedroom. His bedroom, she reminded herself. He slowly set her down on the bed, being careful with her arm. She handed him the bag he had given her earlier.  
  
"What's in there, anyway? It's warm." Hayabusa set the bag aside and knelt beside the bed.  
  
"I'll tell you later, how are your ribs?"  
  
"They hurt." It was a blunt answer, but it was true.  
  
"Is anything broken?"  
  
"No, what's in the bag?" Hayabusa gave her his normal 'look' and grabbed the bag. Ayane watched as he opened it and pulled out a café style cup of coffee and two doughnuts wrapped in wax paper.  
  
"I thought you may be hungry, plus, sugar is good for blood flow. I didn't know what flavor you'd want so I just took what the lady gave me."  
  
"You went to a cafe? No wonder you smell like coffee..."  
  
"Pardon me?"  
  
"Nothing." She pulled the doughnuts out of their wrappers, one was chocolate, always a good choice, but the second one had sprinkles on it, and that just wouldn't do.  
  
She tossed the sprinkle-infested doughnut back into the bag and started to nibble the chocolate one. Hayabusa raised an eyebrow and looked at the doughnut she so readily disposed of.  
  
"What's wrong with it?"  
  
"Wrong with what?" She focused her attention on the doughnut in her hand.  
  
"The doughnut, the one you threw in the bag just now."  
  
"It has sprinkles on it."  
  
"You don't like sprinkles?"  
  
"No, I don't. They're evil."  
  
"Sprinkles are evil?" Hayabusa tried to think of how sprinkles could possibly be evil but dismissed the thought instead.  
  
"So, do you always go to cafés when you have injured girls in your home, or am I just special?" Hayabusa walked over to the window and opened the curtains to let the now rising sun find its way in.  
  
"You the only injured girl to come here, trust me, it's not something I do on a daily basis." He unlocked the window; lifting it open and felt the cool breeze flow through.  
  
"Not even with..." Her voice drifted off as she realized what she was about to ask him.  
  
Not even Kasumi?  
  
Luckily, Hayabusa didn't ask her what she was going to say. It would have been embarrassing and she didn't really want to know.  
  
"I doubt there was a long line at the café you went to, so what took you so long to return?" She said, not looking up from her doughnut, "Why were you really there?"  
  
"I met Hayate there and we discussed your current situation." She instantly stopped chewing and swallowed.  
  
"So last night in the forest... Hayate sent you?" Hayabusa turned away from the window to look at her. She had put the doughnut back in the bag and was now staring at nothing.  
  
"Yes, believe it or not, he does care about you."  
  
"So he told you about..."  
  
"Yes, he told me everything."  
  
Silence fell over both of them. What did Hayabusa think of her wanting Kasumi dead? He was still protecting her, she just knew it. She had found his number and address in Kasumi's 'room'.  
  
And Hayate... What did he think when Hayabusa told him what she had done? Did he even care? Was he mad at her? Even more then he was last night?  
  
"He was worried about you..."  
  
Ayane shook her head, Hayate was worried about her? Yeah right...  
  
"He only worries about Kasumi. She's the one he cares about." It hurt saying it, but she knew it was true, "The only on he's ever cared about..."  
  
"Ayane that's not..."  
  
"Shut up Hayabusa!" Her eye's were tightly shut, her fists clenched. "You don't know anything! How could you? So just shut up!" He didn't say anything. What could he say? He simply walked to the bedroom door and opened it.  
  
"Try to rest Ayane." He pulled the door shut. Ayane grabbed a pillow from behind her and threw it at the door. It hit the door with a soft thud and fell to the floor.  
  
He didn't know anything! He didn't know what living with Hayate and Kasumi had been like after her mother's death! He had no right to say anything!  
  
She feel back to the remaining pillows and hid her face among them. He didn't know anything at all... How dare he try to say Hayate cared for her? She knew he didn't.  
  
He let her move away from the estate just so he wouldn't have to deal with her. So he wouldn't have to talk or look at her... It was the truth...  
  
All he cared for was Kasumi. His sweet, perfect, little Kasumi...  
  
Hayabusa stood outside leaning on the door. It was soft, but he knew she was crying. He didn't know why, but it angered him to hear her gentile sobs through the door. What had Hayate done to her? What did Kasumi do? What made her the way that she was?  
  
He walked down the stairs to his shop, shaking his head.  
  
_Poor girl..._


	9. Not ok

Note from Nashi - Good morning! Actually, it's not that good... I would've had this chapter up sooner but the floppy disk I was using went corrupt and I can't get any of my files from it. But, lucky for me, I always keep back up files on my Computer. (Even though this file didn't have half as much work as the one on my floppy... Gr.)

Once again, something happend to my indentions... sorry, but I'm too lasy to go through it all and space each line to make it look indented...  
  
Metal Overlord - Hey! I was wondering about your name, did you get it from an anime called "Metal Overlord, King Gainer"? And yes, One point for the Ayane team, Kasumi team... zero...  
  
Razzie- Nice foreshadowing! How long do you think you can keep it up? Hehe...  
  
Kaze ookmai- what happened to "Wolf Runner"? Did you get tired with it? Kaze means wind, breeze, but just what the jibbies does "ookmai" mean?  
  
Kurmoi- Hehe thanks for the note on Tenshin, and yes, Hayabusa does have the Ninja Gaiden outfit in DOAU; I have it as my desktop on my computer. (Mmmmm, Hayabusa thighs...) About the sprinkle thing...  
  
Hayabusa- the readers want to know... why are sprinkles evil? Do they remind you of Kasumi?  
  
Ayane- not everything I hate reminds me of Kasumi...  
  
Hayabusa- so why do you hate sprinkles then?  
  
Ayane- because they're brightly colored, nasty tasting pieces of crap that always get lodged in my esophagus when I try to eat them, therefore making them evil.  
  
Hayabusa-...  
  
And now... On to the story...  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------  
  
Chapter 9:  
  
The Hayabusa clan and the Mugen Tenshin had been allies since he was a little boy, probably longer. He had known Hayate and his sisters since his first visit to their estate, the same estate that Hayate owned now.  
  
He didn't know what to think when he first met Hayate, a wild looking little boy who wore an even wilder grin. But they had become good friends over time. Naturally, since he knew Hayate, he soon met Kasumi and Ayane.  
  
Kasumi was a bright, cheerful child who lit up a room as soon as she entered it, always smiling and eager to please anyone she could. She would always welcome him with a smile; outdoing the last one she gave him when they last met.  
  
Ayane was different though. Quiet, keeping to herself, she didn't have the sunny attitude that came to Kasumi so easily. When they met she just glanced at him, gave a slight bow and continued to look at the floor.  
  
No one seemed to notice her. They would greet Kasumi and not even bother to look at Ayane. It made him mad how her own clan treated her, as if she were some outsider, someone who wasn't worth his or her time.  
  
He asked his father about Ayane and why no one seemed to like her. It was then that he learned of her disgraceful lineage. How she was Hayate and Kasumi's half sister and how her father was evil. But it still wasn't right. She couldn't help how she was born.  
  
Hayabusa stood beside the bed, watching Ayane sleep, her face was still hidden among the pillows and her breathing even. He had come in to check on her, worried she might have hurt herself again, but luckily, she hadn't.  
  
He walked to the other side of the bed and sat beside her so he could examin her wounded arm. The bandage was still tight and there was no sign of further bleeding.  
  
_Good..._  
  
He was starting to get up when her arm reached out and grabbed him by the wrist. "Hayate..."  
  
She had turned her face towards him but her eyes were still closed. He tried to loosen her hold on his arm as gently as he could, but she had a firm grip.  
  
"Hayate..."She turned her body until she was hugging his arm. "I'm sorry..."  
  
Her voice was no longer that of the Ayane he knew, but the voice of a small child, pleading, "I'm sorry, please forgive me... I didn't mean to, I really didn't. Please... I'm sorry..." Her voice grew urgent; she held his arm tighter, "Please..."  
  
"Ayane, it's alright, calm down..." His free hand went instinctively to her face, brushing her bangs away from her eyes. "I'm not Hayate."  
  
He watched as her breathing slowed and her grip around him loosened. She was dreaming. Not a good dream apparently, but what was she sorry about? It seemed Hayate had something to do with it.  
  
He made a move to get up, but Ayane grabbed his arm again.  
  
"Don't leave me..."  
  
Her voice was small, almost desperate. He sat back down and let her hold his arm as if he were a large teddy bear. His other hand caressed her face.  
  
"Alright," He said it in the softest whisper, watching as her features relaxed again.  
  
---------------  
  
"Oni-san... Please don't leave me!"  
  
He wouldn't turn around; he just kept walking away, further from her, closer to Kasumi. Had he ever been close to her? Was it even possible for him to get any farther from her?  
  
Far enough to forget her... Was it what he really wanted? Did she disgust him so much?  
  
"Please!"  
  
A dark figure came between her and Hayate. The same dark figure she had come to hate in her childhood years. The one that drove her to be an outcast, the one that threw her out after her mothers death...  
  
"Stay away from Hayate..." The voice was still harshly cold, "Stay away from both him and Kasumi... I will not have your tainted blood ruining them..."  
  
"Why? Why are you saying this?"  
  
"Your lucky I even allowed you to live... If it weren't for Ayame..."  
  
"Don't you say her name! Shut up!"  
  
"But now she's dead... and it's all because of you..."  
  
"No... no..."  
  
Her mother's image came back to her, lying next to the riverbank. Her hair mangled around the once beautiful face that was now bruised and cut.  
  
"Please no..." Ayane pleaded, covering her eyes with her hands, "Please... Don't..."  
  
Her kimono torn and dirty... Her amber eyes empty...  
  
"I'm sorry..."  
  
Her skin pale with death...  
  
"I'm sorry!"  
  
---------------  
  
Ayane woke herself from her dream by violently shaking her head. She opened her eyes and let them adjust to the dim light.  
  
_Just a dream...just a...dream..._  
  
Her breathing slowed and she slowly became aware of her position. So warm, calming even... She was extremely comfortable, so comfortable she didn't want to get up. She snuggled closer to this wonderful warmth and closed her eyes again, breathing out a deep sigh.  
  
"Are you awake?" Ayane didn't move, only looked up to see Hayabusa sitting on the bed beside her, leaning his shoulders on the headboard. His head was laid back and his eyes were closed. His other arm, the one she wasn't snuggled to, rested at his side.  
  
She gasped and quickly pushed herself up and to the other side of the bed, barley-avoiding falling off of it completely.  
  
"What?! Why are you...?"  
  
"You were having a bad dream." He opened his eyes and let his gaze fall on her. "You asked me not to leave."  
  
"You didn't have to..."  
  
"I know."  
  
"..."  
  
"How are you feeling?"  
  
"Better..." She mumbled. Hayabusa got up and walked towards the door.  
  
"Are you hungry?"  
  
"A little..." He simply nodded and walked out, leaving her to sit and think.  
  
_ Crap crap crap crap... Was he sitting here the whole time? Doesn't he have anything better to do?! What does he mean I asked him not to leave?! I was sleeping for Christ sake!  
_  
Ayane got out of the bed and walked to the door, thakn god she felt better then she had early this day. She peeked out into the hallway and didn't see anything but she could hear that Hayabusa was moving around in the kitchen. She opened the door and walked the couple of feet to the bathroom, closing the door behind her.  
  
The bathroom was extremely white. The tiling didn't have that dingy look you would find in anyone else's bathroom and the sink and mirror was spotless. Hayabusa didn't have a tub, only a simple shower stall with a fogged glass door.  
  
She stood before the mirror and stared at her reflection. Under her messy hair her eyes shone red and her face was lacking it's normal glow.  
  
_ Great... I look like hell...  
_  
She turned on the water and waited for it to get warm before she splashed it on her face. Towels hung neatly on a nearby rack, when she reached for one she felt the acquired weight of the bandage around her arm. She looked at it for a while before slowly unwrapping it.  
  
Once again the vertical scars greeted her, they looked smaller but they still hurt.  
  
_ Twice I've let my feelings for Hayate bring me down... I even took it out on my self... Hayabusa must think I'm really pathetic...  
_  
"..."  
  
_I don't care what Hayabusa thinks! Not now, not ever! Sure he's been nice to me, but that doesn't mean his opinion matters!  
  
_ Harshly she grabbed a towel from its spot on the rack and dried her face.  
  
_Stupid Hayabusa... Why does he have to be so nice? People are easier to deal with when they're mean to you. All you have to do is beat them up when they step out of line. But when people are kind... It gets harder to hit them...  
_  
Ayane threw the towel down and returned to the mirror to remove her bandana, which left a faint outline across her forehead.  
  
_Guess that would happen, seeing how I've been wearing it all this time... Thank god my bangs cover my forehead.  
_  
Her gaze left her hair and fell to her eyes. God how she hated her eyes... They were the same amber color as Kasumi's... and her mothers...  
  
The image of her dead mother returned to her. Her delicate face... the empty look in her eyes...  
  
"No." Ayane shook her head, "That was a long time ago. It's all over now." She took deep, steady breaths and focused on her reflection  
  
_These eyes belong to me. They're not soft and round like Kasumi's or mothers. They're hard and cold... They're my eyes...  
_  
A soft knock came from behind the door.  
  
"Are you ok?" Ayane froze. That voice didn't belong to Hayabusa... It was Hayate's...  
  
Quickly she reached for the knob and locked it. She hadn't even noticed someone was standing outside the door. But of all people, why Hayate?!  
  
_Why the hell is he here? Hayabusa called him didn't he? Argh! I should've known this would happen! They're both such good friends after all!  
_  
"Ayane?"  
  
There weren't any windows in the bathroom, so there was no escape there...  
  
_Great! I can't stay in here for the rest of the night! God I don't want to talk to him..._  
  
"You know, I'm getting really tired of speaking to you from behind closed doors."  
  
The only way out was the door. Ayane reached over and jerked the door open.  
  
"Well I'm getting really tired of hearing your voice!"  
  
They both stood there looking at each other. Hayate's hair fell wildly around his face and his eyes looked at her with concern. He was wearing one of his older jackets, she remembered it from a couple of years ago. Back then it was blue, now it was grey...  
  
"Does it still hurt?"  
  
Ayane shook her head, bringing her mind back to her current situation.  
  
"A lot of things hurt right now, so your going to have to be more specific..."  
  
_Could he have asked a dumber question?  
_  
"I was only told of your arm being injured..." His eyes now had a look of... depression? What the hell was he depressed for?! God! It was the same look he wore when he thought of Kasumi!  
  
"Well, it doesn't hurt... Not as much as it did when I first drove my knife into it..." Hayate winced as she said that.  
  
_So, he doesn't like that, does he?_  
  
"I can do it again if you'd like to watch..."  
  
"Ayane!" Good, she could see the anger come back to his eyes. That depressed look pissed her off.  
  
"What? I thought you would enjoy..."  
  
"Why the hell would I enjoy watching you hurt yourself! What could have possibly drove you to do it in the first place?"  
  
Ayane looked him straight in the eye. A steely look she had mastered in her childhood.  
  
"You could... and you did..." She pushed past him and made her way to the door leading downstairs.  
  
"Ayane..."  
  
She turned to look at him and instantly wished that she hadn't. His face was stern but his eyes clearly showed he was hurt.  
  
_That damn depressed look again..._  
  
"I'm sorry... please... don't do it again..."  
  
It was clear that it was hard for him to say. She wanted to hug him and say that she would never do it again and that everything was ok.  
  
But it wasn't ok... and it never would be....  
  
_Not as long as Kasumi still lives..._  
  
She opened the door and started down the stairs, leaving Hayate to watch her retreating back.  
  
---------------  
  
He could hear the door downstairs open and close as Ayane left.  
  
Hayabusa turned the stove off and walked into the hallway to watch his friend stare after his sister. He had heard everything from in the kitchen and now wondered what Hayate would do next.  
  
But all Hayate did was stand there, looking down the empty staircase with a non-existent look on his face.  
  
"Don't worry, Hayate... I don't think Ayane will do it again."  
  
Hayate shook his head and looked at Hayabusa.  
  
"Don't be so sure..."


	10. Almost there

Random note- you know, I didn't think that "Reduced Fat" Oreo's would taste any different from regular Oreo's, but I was wrong... So, very wrong...  
  
Kaze Ookami- Ok, that's what I thought. But there's only one "O" for Okami. I don't know what Hayabusa will do... your going to have to ask him.  
  
Chapter 10:  
  
Ayane grumbled as she walked to the alley beside her apartment building looking for the fire escape. She couldn't remember if she had just left her key at home or if she had lost it somewhere in the forest, but now she was locked out in the middle of the night...  
  
When she actually found the stupid ladder she grumbled some more. It had been pulled upwards and locked against the railing. Ayane looked at the nearby wall and measured the distance between it and the fire escape.  
  
She nodded to herself and backed away a few steps before running directly at the wall. She jumped up and took two more steps up the wall before pushing off into a flip that landed her on the lower platform of the fire escape.  
  
_Who needs ladders when your ninja?_  
  
A quick flash of dizziness swept over her. Grabbing hold of the rail she stood there waiting for it to pass. _This is getting old..._ Once she felt stable she quietly she began to climb the stairs, counting each floor until she reached her window.  
  
_I'm going to get out of these clothes and take a nice, hot bath...  
_  
But when she tried to open the window it wouldn't budge. With her face to the glass she could see that she had, without even remembering it, locked the window.  
  
_Tonight is just getting better and better...  
_  
Ayane focused on the area above the lock, aimed, and sent her fist through the glass. It didn't shatter completely, just mostly... Reaching in she unlocked the window and lifted it so she could climb in.  
  
Broken glass crunched under her feet as she closed the window again. _I'll clean it in the morning_... She pulled the curtains closed and headed for the bathroom, pulling off her clothes along the way.  
  
Once settled into the warm, comforting water in her bathtub, Ayane closed her eyes and let out an easy breath.  
  
_I don't want to think about anything... Just let me lay here for a while...  
_  
But she had no such luck. As soon as she closed her eyes the image of Hayate's face returned to her. _"I'm sorry...please don't do it again..."  
  
_ "Not as sorry as I am, Hayate..."  
  
_Why the hell did he have to show up? I thought I wasn't going to be tolerated anymore... Prick...  
_  
Ayane opened her eyes and set to the task of washing her hair.  
  
_It was nice to see him there though,_ Ayane's heart told her. It wanted to believe that Hayate truly cared for her as he did for Kasumi. But then her mind chimed in and reminded her heart that she wouldn't have been there if it weren't for him.  
  
_But, if it weren't for him I wouldn't have been able to see Hayabusa like I did._.. Ayane shook her head and began to scrub harder. _No, if it weren't for him I wouldn't have been annoyed by Hayabusa like I was...  
  
_ Ayane dunked her head under the water and rinsed the shampoo out of it.  
  
_Had it really been that bad? He was kind to me..._  
  
She sat up and looked at her reflection in the water.  
  
_Me, the bastard child of the Mugen Tenshin... The one nobody wants...will ever want..._  
  
She once thought that if she had killed Kasumi, their once supposed "leader", then the clan would have to accept her as a powerful member of their ranks... But no, what Hayate had said that night was true...  
  
_"All of the clan holds respect for Kasumi... If she hadn't run away then she would now be clan leader..."  
_  
If she killed Kasumi they would just continue to hate her... But Hayabusa was different... He wouldn't have helped her if he hated her, even if Hayate had asked him, and he knew she was trying to kill Kasumi... So why was he so nice to her?  
  
_He should've just left me in that forest... But no, he had to save my life... If he hadn't taken care of me I probably would've bled to death...  
_  
Once again the question of weather or not he did it because he wanted to or just because Hayate asked him slipped into her mind. Ayane shook her head to dismiss the thought. She was tired... All this could wait until morning.  
  
Quickly she finished her bath and after wrapping her arm in a lighter bandage she headed to the kitchen in her nightclothes to make something to eat. The thought that Hayabusa had been cooking for her when she walked out of his house made her feel a little guilty.  
  
_Does Hayabusa even know how to cook? He's a grown man, he should know... I wonder what he was making..._  
  
While eating a bowl of plain rice Ayane had made just because she was lazy, she noticed Kasumi's ID still laying on the coffee table.  
  
"Tomorrow..." She spoke aloud, "You'll die tomorrow... Just you wait..."  
  
Ayane finished with her rice and washed her dishes. She then turned off the lights and headed for her bed. The sheets felt cold against her warm skin and the bed seemed incredibly small compared to Hayabusa's...  
  
Her face grew warm thinking about how she had basically snuggled Hayabusa while she was sleeping... She hid her face in her pillow trying to figure out why he hadn't just woken her up...  
  
_Argh... At least I won't have to wake up to him hovering over me...  
  
_ "..."  
  
_...Is that a good thing?  
_  
---------------  
  
She had woken up early that morning, probably from sleeping so much at Hayabusa's. She got dressed and had breakfast before she grabbed Kasumi's ID and headed out the door. Looking for her stupid school took longer then she expected but after constant walking in circles she found it.  
  
Ayane sat quietly in a tree that over looked the school; she had arrived just in time for the lunch bell to ring. Getting in had been easy for her, now the hard part was finding Kasumi, she couldn't just walk around and look for her, someone would notice her easily.  
  
Ayane watched as one girl separated herself from the crowd and walked towards the tree Ayane sat in. She looked like one of your average schoolgirls, long hair, glasses, and a book in one hand and her lunch in the other.  
  
After checking if anyone had followed her, Ayane dropped a branch closer to her as she sat beneath the tree.  
  
_ She looks slightly bigger then me but she'll have to do_...  
  
Swiftly she dropped down and hit the girl from behind, knocking her out for Ayane to drag her into the bushes. Minuets later Ayane reemerged wearing the borrowed school uniform, a navy, long sleeve sailor fuki. She slipped a kunai under her sleeve and headed for the school building.  
  
Besides from the few glances she received no one paid her any mind. She automatically assumed that Kasumi would be in a classroom or the library trying to kiss up to any teacher she could, but she wasn't having any luck finding her...  
  
"Hey, you!"  
  
Ayane spun around on her heel to see a security guard walking towards her, "Get out of the hall! You know the rules!"  
  
_Rules? Not really..._  
  
"I'm sorry, sir." She gave a polite bow, "Today's my first day here. I'm not familiar with the rules..." The security guard gave a grunt and nodded.  
  
"First day, huh? Ok then, listen closely! During lunch students are to report to the cafeteria or go outside to eat, talk, or do whatever they do. You are not to walk among the halls, disturb any classrooms, or leave school grounds unless you have a pass allowing you to do so, understand?"  
  
Ayane nodded, quickly getting tired of his droning voice. She hadn't seen Kasumi outside so she had to be in the cafeteria...  
  
"Now, do you know where the cafeteria is? No? Follow me then."  
  
The guard led her through the different halls until they reached the set of double doors leading into the cafeteria. The guard nodded to her and walked off. She walked in cautiously; there were far too many people for her liking...  
  
One by one she scanned the tables, searching for the amber hair that should've stood out amongst such normal kids... And it did stand out... She spotted Kasumi at one of the tables closest to the back. Thank god... She didn't think she could deal with Kasumi if students surrounded her on all sides...  
  
Kasumi sat with a group of girls eating their lunch. Once and a while they would mention something and begin to giggle, except for Kasumi, she would just smile that stupid smile of hers and watch the conversation go from one girl to the next.  
  
_ Those girls could be a problem... I don't want to draw too much attention...but then again... her little friends could prove useful..._  
  
Ayane started towards them, easing the tip of the kunai in her sleeve to rest against her palm, ready to be thrown if Kasumi decided to run.  
  
"Good afternoon... sister."  
  
Ayane could feel the wicked grin curl onto her lips as she watched at Kasumi's shocked face snap up at her voice...  
  
_Stupid little fool...Didn't think anyone would find you here did you?_ The girls sitting around her turned to look at Ayane.  
  
"Oh wow! Kasumi, I didn't know you had a sister!"  
  
"You two look nothing alike..."  
  
"Yes they do! Look at the eyes!"  
  
"Would you like to join as for lunch, sister of Kasumi?"  
  
"No thank you, I just came to pick up my sister..." She walked around the circle towards Kasumi, "We have a lot of catching up to do..."  
  
Kasumi was getting up as if she was about to run, but Ayane quickly reached forward and pulled Kasumi to her in a mock hug, pressing the side of her kunai into Kasumi's back.  
  
"Try to run..." Ayane whispered into her ear, "And I'll kill each and everyone of your little friends here..."  
  
"You wouldn't... Not when there are so many people around us..." Kasumi whispered back.  
  
"It's never stopped me before..."  
  
Kasumi winced as Ayane pulled away long enough to loop her arm underneath hers in what would seem like a sisterly hold. Only this hold let Ayane position the kunai next to Kasumi's ribs.  
  
"We have to be going now! Ja ne!" (See ya!)  
  
Kasumi nodded to her friends and Ayane poked her into the direction of the doors leading outside. Kasumi's friends giggled behind them.  
  
"They're so close! How sweet! I wish my sister was that nice to me!"  
  
_Yeah, real nice..._  
  
She continued to hold the kunai in place as they walked, pushing passed students in the crowded cafeteria. It was hard to move when she had to hold Kasumi, but she wasn't going to give Kasumi any chances to escape...  
  
The only disadvantage Ayane had was being so close to Kasumi. She was wearing the same uniform Ayane stole from the other girl, and had her hair in its normal high ponytail. Her stupid strawberry perfume was overwhelming her. What did she do, bathe in the stuff?  
  
"Where did you get that uniform?" Kasumi kept her eyes looking forward, her voice calm.  
  
_Wow, she has the nerve to talk..._  
  
"I borrowed it... Now shut up and keep walking..."  
  
She made Kasumi open the door so she wouldn't have to remove her hidden weapon from its position. Once outside they headed for the front gate.  
  
"The guard won't let us leave... School's not over yet..." Her voice remained quiet.  
  
"How do you think I got in? The guard is taking a little nap so you don't have to worry about him..."  
  
As they passed the gate Kasumi could see the guard still standing at his post, leaning against the wall. But for some reason he didn't stop them... Just continued to lean on the...  
  
Then she saw it... It was small, but she could see the swelling at his left temple. He wasn't leaning on the wall... He was slumped in that position.  
  
"What are you planning to do, Ayane?"  
  
"What do you think? Once we're far away from any possible witnesses I'm going to kill you painfully slow..."  
  
Ayane pulled her across the street from the school and into the current stream of pedestrians walking along the sidewalk. They just had to walk a little further until they reached a deserted factory; it was there that Ayane planned to kill Kasumi...  
  
"Why do you hate me so?" God how she hated the sound of Kasumi's voice...  
  
"You're going to die soon, instead of asking me dumbass questions I recommend you start praying..."  
  
The crowd jostled them around as they made their way down the street. _It's barley mid day, why the hell is there so many people out?  
_  
They came to an intersection and waited for the light to turn so they could cross. Kasumi looked around for possible ways to escape and found it in a burly, rather dumb looking man.  
  
"Hey ugly!" The burly man turned towards them with a grimace on his face. Ayane glared at Kasumi and pressed the kunai deeper into her skin.  
  
_"What the hell are you doing?"  
_  
"You tralkin' to me?" Kasumi ignored Ayane and continued to bait the man.  
  
"I said _'ugly'_ didn't I? Who else would I be talking to, you big ape..."  
  
"Why you!" The man reached out and grabbed Kasumi by her shirt and away from Ayane's grasp.  
  
It was all Kasumi needed...  
  
She sent her knee into the man's stomach and slipped out of his hold while he doubled over, and ran deeper into the crowd.  
  
"Damn it!" Ayane pushed past the man and hurried after her. She followed by angry curses has she pushed by surrounding bystanders. Kasumi was fast, damn her. She had so much practice that it must be second nature to run for her.  
  
Ayane readied the kunai in her hand and threw it at Kasumi's retreating back; a yelp and Kasumi stumbling forward rewarded her. Few people turned to look at Kasumi and shook their heads thinking she had triped. Ayane strolled up to Kasumi and smiled down at her. She could see the slash at Kasumi's side and how her blood was starting to seep out of the cut.  
  
"You're not getting away..." But to her surprise Kasumi smiled back.  
  
"That's what you think..." Kasumi took a deep breath and let out an ear- shattering scream. Everyone around them stopped to see who was screaming.  
  
"What the hell's going on?"  
  
"Oh my god! That girl's bleeding!"  
  
"Someone call an ambulance! Hurry!"  
  
They all started to close in around them, a few of them were giving Ayane looks that she didn't like. She cursed and slowly backed away from Kasumi. The bitch was still smiling damn her...  
  
"This isn't over... I will kill you sooner or later..."  
  
"I think I can hear the police coming, you better start running..." Ayane gave a final curse and threw herself into the surrounding crowd, dodging the arms that reached out to grab her.

_ Damn it! Why am I the one running?_


	11. Take Care

Note- this chapter has taken me longer to write then any of my previous ones... Its only purpose is to set the scene for chapter 12 and to get Hayabusa back into the flow of things...  
  
Typos! I found typos in chapter 10! Arrgh! I hate it when I do that!  
  
Kurmoi- you're proud of me? I'm so moved... Ooooh, and thanks for the note on Ookami! We don't have a Japanese class at my school, (Cheap bastards...), so I have to teach myself... The book I have spells Okami with one 'o'.  
  
Wolf- Heeeey, I have two copies of your review... Aren't I special?  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------  
  
Chapter 11:  
  
It was a shabby looking building; he didn't know why he hadn't noticed it before. The paint was flaking from the outside in, shingles were missing from its roof and the main hallway smelled faintly of mildew.  
  
_Does she really live here? Surly Hayate gave her enough money to move somewhere... nicer...  
  
"..."  
  
It's not my place to judge where someone else lives... But still...  
_  
Hayabusa climbed the stairs leading up to the third floor, the floor Hayate had said she lived on. One by one he checked the doors, the room numbers were so old they were starting to fade into the wood.  
  
_C-6... C-6... C-6..._  
  
A door was separated from the others doors in the back of the hallway. There were no longer any numbers on this door, but since the last door was C-5 then this had to be C-6.  
  
He reached out and rapped his knuckles against the door then stepped back and waited... and waited... and waited... He knocked again but there was still no reply.  
  
"She's not here..." Hayabusa checked his watch.  
  
_ If she went to school then she should've been home by now... Guess I'll have to come back later..._  
  
He started for the stairs when he heard the sound of glass breaking and numerous curses. It was coming from Ayane's apartment...  
  
_A burglar?  
_  
Hayabusa pressed his ear to the door and listened to the commotion inside. There was more cursing followed by the sounds of things being thrown around. Whoever was inside was tearing the place up pretty badly. Hayabusa stood away from the door.  
  
"I'm sorry, Ayane." He apologized before he kicked her door in to confront the burglar. The door slammed into the wall behind it and resonated. He had expected to see some idiot robber staring at him in surprised, but the room before him was empty.  
  
Across from him he could see the broken window and its scattered glass on the floor. A chair was knocked over along with the coffee table and one of the curtains had been pulled down, but where was the intruder?  
  
Quietly he stepped over to the hallway, avoiding crunching any glass under his feet. It looked empty, but a door at the end of the hallway stood ajar. He moved silently to the door and looked in, a fist coming straight for his face welcomed him.  
  
Instinctively he stepped back and grabbed the wrist of his attacker, but a flash of purple hair stopped him before he could continue his counter.  
  
"Ayane?"  
  
"Hayabusa!? What the..." She looked just as surprised as he was, but there was something else in her eyes... Not just surprise, but... Anger? "Let go of my arm, it hurts!"  
  
Hayabusa, remembering their position, released her arm. He looked down at his own hand and found it smeared with blood...  
  
"Ayane, you're hurt..." He instantly looked at her left arm but he could see it was bandaged and fine under her sleeve; besides, he had grabbed her right arm. He let his eyes drift to the hand and saw a deep gash running along her palm.  
  
"No shit, and before you start giving me that look of yours you should know that the window did this to me... Not myself."  
  
Ayane walked over to the sink and started to run cold water over the cuts. Apparently they were in the bathroom. Light blue tiles lined the floor and an antique tub stood a few feet away from the sink.  
  
"Were you the one who kicked my door in? And what the hell are you doing here in the first place?"  
  
"I heard a window break and thought someone was robbing you... I'm guessing you did that?"  
  
"Actually, it was already broken from last night... Ow!" Ayane sucked air in through her teeth and continued to wash her hand. The white sink was tinted a light red from the blood.  
  
"How did it brake?"  
  
"I lost my keys, and since I don't like to leave my door unlocked I just use the fire escape to get in and out. The window had the misfortune to be locked..."  
  
_Poor window..._  
  
"Speaking of keys..." Hayabusa removed his eyes from her bleeding hand and pulled a key ring out of his pocket, "Are these are yours?"  
  
Ayane finished washing her hand and grabbed a towel to dry it. She glanced over at the key ring and mumbled a 'yes' as she opened her medicine cabinet. She snatched out a small white box and walked past him to the living room.  
  
Hayabusa followed and watched as she kicked the coffee table right side up and basically slammed the box down and threw her towel down beside it. Sitting on the sofa she pulled out a pair of tweezers from the box and set to work picking the glass from her hand.  
  
_Ok, she's pissed... I wonder what made her so mad... Well, besides the fragments of broken glass in her hand..._  
  
"Why are you still here?" She snapped at him, and then winced at a piece of glass that was being stubborn and not pulling free of her skin. "You brought me my keys, now get lost..."  
  
"Are you right-handed Ayane?" Hayabusa said, ignoring her command. He set the keys on the coffee table and sat beside her on the sofa. She gave him a startled glance but kept working at her hand.  
  
"What the hell are you doing?"  
  
"It must be hard doing that with your left hand." He took the tweezers from her and grabbed her other hand.  
  
"Hayabusa, what...? Ow!" She winced as Hayabusa pulled the glass free from her hand. He didn't look at her, only went to the next piece and pulled as gently as he could.  
  
"Try not to move so much..."  
  
"Damn it, I'm not in the mood for this, Hayabusa!" She snatched her hand away and glared at it. He didn't say anything, just held the tweezers and watched her stare at her own hand. They sat there in silence before he asked,  
  
"What's wrong?" It took her so long to respond he hadn't expected her to answer him.  
  
"The only thing that's wrong is that your still here!" She got up from the sofa and walked over to the window to straighten the curtain that had been pulled down, "How the hell do you know where I live, anyway? No, wait, Hayate told you didn't he?"  
  
Hayabusa nodded and continued to watch her. Ayane tried to hang the curtain but, being five foot two, she forgot she needed the aid of a chair...  
  
"Damn it..." She looked at the gash on her hand, it was starting to burn and Hayabusa was still watching her. Why wouldn't he leave?  
  
"How did you hurt yourself on the window?"  
  
"I forgot the window was broken." She mumbled.  
  
"You forgot it was broken even though you're the one that broke it in the first place?" She nodded and continued to watch fresh blood ooze from the gash.  
  
"Yeah... It wasn't until the glass was actually an inch deep that I noticed..."  
  
She was mumbling again... to herself or to him he wasn't sure. But he didn't like it. Just a moment ago she looked like she was ready to smack him, now she was just out of it.  
  
Hayabusa reached for the towel she had thrown down earlier and walked over to her, gently grabbing her hand so he could wipe the blood away. She didn't react and pull away again like he was expecting her to, only stood there and stared at nothing.  
  
Once the blood was cleaned he went back to picking out the remaining pieces of glass. "Just one more piece..." After the last piece was out she pulled her hand away from him and went back to the little box for a bandage.  
  
While she did that Hayabusa finished hanging the curtain. "You know, Ayane... If you need someone to talk to..."  
  
"Oh for the love of, nothing's wrong, ok?!" Besides the fact that I failed once again... Damn her! Ayane slammed her hand into the nearby wall, which got her a look from Hayabusa. "Why are you still here!? Leave already, damn it!"  
  
She hadn't meant to yell at him... she was sorry for doing so, but she needed him to go... she felt like crying and she'd be damned if she did it in front of Hayabusa.  
  
Hayabusa silently walked towards the door, which still stood open to the outside hallway, and with his hand on the knob he turned back to look at her.  
  
"Take care, Ayane..." With that he walked outside and closed the door behind him. Ayane stood there looking at the door.  
  
_Of all the things to say... "Take Care"? Damn him... I was so close to killing Kasumi... Would he have said, "Take Care" if he had known that? God, I'm tired of this... Forget crying, I'll do that later...  
  
_ Ayane stomped over to the door and threw it open, but the hallway was empty. "Hayabusa!" No response... Could he have left that quickly? Bastard... he stays when she doesn't want him to and now he leaves when she wants to talk.  
  
She walked back inside and changed out of the "borrowed" school uniform and into a pair of jeans with a large shirt.  
  
_No more what ifs... I want answers and I want them now...  
_  
Snatching her keys from the table she locked her door and went on her way to Hayabusa's shop.  
  
_No more questioning myself... No more wondering if I do what's right just so I don't hurt someone's feelings, I want to see how he'll act once he knows I'm going to kill Kasumi...  
_  
It was mid-afternoon and rather hot, so she decided not to run all the way, but she was soon standing in front of the shop. The sign on the door read "Closed" but when she turned the knob on the door it opened easily.  
  
_Either he's forgetful or he's expecting someone..._ A voice in the back of her head told her he left the door opened for her but she decided to go with the forgetful idea instead.  
  
"Hayabusa? You here?" No response. The store looked the same as the last time she saw it, but a few things had been moved around. She headed for the door behind the counter and opened it so she could climb the stairs. When she reached the door at the top she didn't bother knocking and walked right in.  
  
"Hayabusa?" She called again, "I let myself in, now where are you?" Still no answer... Could he have gone out somewhere? That would explain why she didn't see him on the way here.  
  
_Crap! I come all the way down here and he's probably off somewhere having a coffee!  
  
_ She walked into the living room and sat down in a large, surprisingly comfortable recliner. _Why the hell did I come here in the first place? It doesn't matter how he feels about it! I'm killing Kasumi for my own reasons! He has nothing to do with it!  
_  
But what if she killed Kasumi and he hated her for it?  
  
_Wow, so he'll hate me, everyone hates me, nothing new there..._  
  
It didn't matter to her if other people hated her, she grew up with that and learned to ignore it. But Hayabusa was someone, oddly enough, that she didn't want to hate her...  
  
_Whoa, hold it! Why should he matter? Sure, he's helped me out a couple of times, and yeah, he's been the kindest person I've ever met, not to mention he's hot...  
_  
Ayane shook her head and mentally called herself an idiot over and over. What had she been planning on doing? Was she seriously going to demand that he tell her his true feelings for Kasumi? For her? What an fool...  
  
_It's been a long day... I just need to go home and try to forget about today... Man, this chair is comfortable...  
_  
Ayane stood up and headed for the door, but before she could reach it, the phone rang... and rang, and rang... She just stood there looking at it, wondering who would call Hayabusa.  
  
_It's probably Hayate. I wonder if he'll leave a massage..._  
  
But when the machine clicked over it wasn't Hayate's voice she heard...  
  
"Hayabusa... It's me..."  
  
That voice... _Her_ voice... Just hearing her voice made her veins run cold... What the hell was that little bitch calling Hayabusa for?  
  
"I no longer have anywhere safe to run... each time I think I've found a safe haven, Ayane takes it away from me... She even attacked me at school today!"  
  
_Well, that's noting new... She makes me sound like the bad guy...  
_  
"Hayabusa, I need help... Please... I'll be waiting for you in the old church outside of town... Until then..."  
  
The answering machine gave a loud beep that ended the message.  
  
_Pleading for help... How pathetic... Old church outside of town, huh? All right then, looks like I have no choice but to help you end your suffering..._  
  
She couldn't help but thank god a couple of times for her being here at the right moment, now she knew where Kasumi was, and this time there would be no more foul ups...  
  
"Ayane?"  
  
Ayane snapped her head towards the door and saw Hayabusa standing there, looking at her with a questioning face. Apparently she had been considering this new opportunity with a lot of thought if she hadn't heard Hayabusa walk up the stairs and open the door.  
  
"Are you talking to yourself? I thought I heard voices..."  
  
"If you here voice's then your crazy..." Hayabusa shrugged and walked into his kitchen. "The door was open so I let myself in..."  
  
"That's fine, would you like a drink?"  
  
"No, I was just leaving." Ayane turned to the door and was about to leave before Hayabusa said,  
  
"Did you need something? Surly you didn't come here just to say hello..." Why does that sound familiar? Isn't that what Hayate would tell her?  
  
"No, I didn't come to say hello, but I also have no other reason to be here either... So now I'm leaving..."  
  
The door closed and he could hear her footsteps going down the stairs. What she said had made no sense, why would she be here without a reason? He was hoping that she had come to talk, but he was probably asking to much.  
  
On his way to the living room the small flashing light on the answering machine caught his eye.  
  
_I wonder who called..._


	12. Insane Doll

Disclaimer- in case anyone has forgotten, I do not own "Dead or Alive". The wonderful people at Team Ninja make it.  
  
Note- Hey kiddies! I've just gotten back from outta town, so sorry for the long wait. Personally, I like this chapter. The images came clearly and it was very easy to write, (at three in the morning...) The Demon's Church is a level in DOA2: Hardcore, I always like playing there... It seems to have this warm glow about it...  
  
You know... I used to be a huge Ein/Ayane fan when I first started playing DOA... Then I found out that they were half brother/sister... (Bleh!) But, while playing tag battle, I saw the beauty of Hayabusa/Ayane...  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------  
  
Chapter 12:  
  
Night had come quickly, as if it knew of the dark deed that would be done on this night. Heavy clouds crowded in the sky and the wind gave a shrill cry as it tossed the treetops into a wild dance. Yes, a perfect backdrop for what she had planned...  
  
The Demon's Church... Ayane remembered it from the last tournament. The locals didn't dare go near it. They still feared the tengu, the same tengu Hayabusa had destroyed, declaring him the victor of the tournament.  
  
She had wanted to kill it... wanted to take its title and be feared as the tengu was. But, because of her failure to defeat Kasumi, she had to drop out of the tournament.  
  
Now she stood outside the chain fence that outlined the churches courtyard. The courtyard itself was in ruin; stained glass lay shattered from days long past, the walls crumbled into fractions of what they once were...  
  
The purple scarf around her neck joined in the winds dance as she climbed over the fence, throwing her leg over and landing on the ground with absent- minded grace. She had searched the outside perimeter for Kasumi and decided that she must be hiding inside.  
  
After she had left Hayabusa's store she returned home and suited up in her purple gi. She planned each step she would take to kill Kasumi, eliminating any room for error. Kasumi would be here alone... No witnesses to be had. Tonight had to be the night... If she didn't kill her tonight then...  
  
Ayane absentmindedly patted the ninjato strapped at her waist.  
  
_Kasumi's going to be a new sheath for this blade... and if not her... then I will..._  
  
The great church loomed before her as she walked through its courtyard. A shadow in the stained glass appeared then disappeared. Ayane ran for the doors and threw them open looking for the stairs.  
  
_Damn it! If Kasumi had seen her she would try to run..._  
  
As soon as she spotted the stairs she began to climb them with unthinkable speed. The room that greeted was the same she had fought that American woman in during the last tournament, large windows on each wall and a somewhat damaged roof... But instead of the blonde woman there stood Kasumi with her back to Ayane.  
  
Kasumi was dressed in a gi identical to Ayane's, only hers was red, but when she turned around she was smiling. It wasn't the usual sickening smile, it was an eerie smile...  
  
"Why the hell are you smiling?"  
  
She didn't get a response only a small chuckle and Kasumi flipping her hair. Ayane took a step towards her but she didn't move, only looked at her with interested eyes and that damn smile plastered to her face.  
  
"You know what? Smile all you want... It won't stop me from..."  
  
In mid-sentence Kasumi lunged at her with inhuman speed, lashing out with her hands as if they were claws. The attacked had surprised Ayane, but it didn't surprise her enough to stop her foot from crashing into Kasumi's side. The kick sent her sliding across the marble floor, but she was back on her feet in no time...  
  
...and... She was still smiling...  
  
From behind the smile came laughter, a laughter composed of pure insanity that rang through the entire church... Had Kasumi finally lost it? Ayane didn't have time to think about it, Kasumi rushed her again, but this time she successfully landed a blow that sent Ayane into a wall.  
  
From her new vantage point on the floor, Ayane stared at the newly insane Kasumi...  
  
_What the hell?! She just attacked me from out of nowhere! Why hasn't she tried to talk her way out of it or even try to run away? Has she really gone mad?_  
  
Ayane got to her feet only to have Kasumi rush her again with another barrage of attacks. One by one Ayane dodged each blow, taking note of how each were thrown. Her moves were messy and they lacked the grace that came so naturally to the Kasumi bitch...  
  
Ayane waited for a chance to counter, grabbing Kasumi's arm and throwing her into the far wall. She looked just like Kasumi on the outside, but everything else seemed off...  
  
_I'm missing something important... my instincts are yelling at me that something's wrong...  
_  
For no reason she could think of, Hayate popped into her head. He was sitting beside her in the garden... telling her about...

_Shit... What the hell was he saying?  
_  
Kasumi had gotten back up and was coming at her again, this time her moves were coming faster and seemed to have more power behind them. Ayane's arms were starting to hurt from having to block so much, but she needed to figure out what Hayate could've been saying...  
  
_Damn you, Hayate... Of all times to be useful..._  
  
Kasumi caught her in thought with a kick that sent her flying to the other end of the room, impacting hard with the wall. Ayane slid from the wall to the floor as Kasumi was upon her in seconds, thrashing her as a beast would a helpless animal.  
  
She had to get up; being on the floor was a real disadvantage. Ayane tried to roll to the side to get away but she was just kicked back to her original helpless position.  
  
_Damn it! Every time I move away she just kicks me back! I'm not a fucking soccer ball, god damn it!_  
  
Not being able to flee Ayane brought up her arms to protect her face. The blows were coming harder and her head was starting to feel dizzy. The thought of Hayate came back to her...

_Hayate, what happened to you when you became Ein?_  
  
It was night; they were both sitting on the veranda outside of Hayate's room. Hayate had just come home, or to what he considered home, a few days after the tournaments end. Everyone on the estate rejoiced that night and at the end of the festivities they had both gone to watch the fireflies float about in the garden.  
  
_It's all a bit fuzzy, and I'm glad that it is. It was agonizing... I was in some sort of lab, it looked like something right out of a sci fi movie, and they took samples and ran tests, extremely painful tests... I can't remember how, but I escaped.... I wonder how long I had been running...._  
  
She was listening to every detail, giving each word her full attention. She wanted to laugh at herself for how much she had adored Hayate...  
  
_I woke up in a strange forest I didn't know... I was badly injured and probably would've died had it not been for a girl that found me...  
  
Both her and her father treated my wounds and helped me to live again... but then again, what kind of life was I living if I didn't know of my true existence in this world...  
  
But Hayate, what were they doing to you?_  
  
Hayate looked over the garden and sighed,  
  
_They cloned me..._

__  
  
_Clone..._  
  
The word repeated itself over and over again with each blow Kasumi threw... No, not Kasumi... This had to be...  
  
Ayane planted her foot in "Kasumi's" gut and pushed outwards, getting just enough space to roll away from her and stand up. It was hard though, she had taken a lot of hits and now her body ached like hell while the person in front of her didn't show any sign of getting tired.  
  
"That's fine... just fine..." Ayane mumbled to herself as she un-sheathed the ninjato at her waist. There was just one last piece of evidence she needed before she decided if this was the real Kasumi or not...  
  
"Kasumi" followed Ayane's movements and drew her own weapon on her back. They just watched each other before lunging with their blades.  
  
Sparks flew as the blades connected and began to dance with their users attacks, each slice and parry being extremely dangerous to whoever gave enough ground for the other to take the offense.  
  
Ayane wasn't sure how long they played this game of juggling between offense and defense but in the next instance they held each other in a game of skill. Both their blades were locked together and now the only deciding factor would be who would move first... and Ayane wasn't going to let this chance pass by...  
  
Dropping down to one knee, Ayane scraped her blade downwards along her opponents, freeing her from the blades hold. The sound of metal scraping on metal echoed through the churches high ceiling as Ayane completed her slash with an upward thrust to Kasumi's side.  
  
Moments went by in silence... Silence that was broken by the sound of Kasumi's ninjato hitting the floor. Ayane rolled out of hitting range and stood up to look at where she had cut her.  
  
The red fabric of Kasumi's gi fell, torn, from her arm to her waist. It was there on the exposed flesh that Ayane would find the proof she needed... and she did...  
  
"No scar..." She said to herself, "There's no scar from the kunai I wounded Kasumi with..."  
  
_This isn't Kasumi... Is it a clone... Had Kasumi been cloned like Hayate was?  
_  
The imposter began her insane laughter again, ripping away the torn patch of fabric from her side.  
  
"Quit your damn laughing... Just who are you?"  
  
The Kasumi imposter brought her laughter down to a giggle and started to toy with her ponytail.  
  
"Who... am I?"  
  
_God... even its voice sounds like Kasumi's... Man this is creepy..._  
  
"Am I not... Kasumi?" It tilted its head, contemplating Ayane, "Am I not your sister... Ayane-chan?"  
  
Her words sent the coldest of shivers down Ayane's spine. How long had it been since someone had called her that? How did this piece of shit Kasumi imposter know her name? Ayane shook it off and started towards the Kasumi want-to-be.  
  
"Half-sister, bitch...and no, you're not... But since you're here instead of the real Kasumi, you'll have to do..."  
  
_I will kill Kasumi, but for now... I'll just have to settle for this fake...  
_  
Now that she knew that this wasn't Kasumi, this would just be another battle... Just the same thing she went through in her life... Just another opponent to defeat...  
  
To bad this opponent fought just like Kasumi... if somewhat crazy, it was still Kasumi's style...  
  
_Damn it... It should be Kasumi I'm fighting this instant... but no... I get this wanna-be... O.K. Ayane, just think about it as training for the real battle with Kasumi... Damn, isn't that something Hayate or Hayabusa would say? ...Pricks..._  
  
Ayane sheathed her ninjato as she ran at the clone before her. She didn't need a weapon to beat this waste of science...  
  
Their fight went the same as it had with their blades, a steady exchange of blows and a struggle for offense over defense... Only Ayane was starting to tire out and the clone still showed endless energy... How was she suppose to kill this thing if it kept getting up after she knocked it down...  
  
That night with Hayate came back to her again...

_How did you know they cloned you?_  
  
Hayate ran a hand through his hair, _I know because I had to fight my clone... Do you know what it feels like to fight yourself? To actually sit there and kill something that's exactly like you?  
_  
How the hell should I know how that feels? Ayane snorted  
  
Hayate laughed and leaned back on his arms_. You're right, what was I thinking? But seriously, that damn thing just wouldn't die...  
_  
_So... how did you kill it then?  
  
Well, I'm not quite sure... You see, I was fighting it in one of the labs. It had just gotten done pounding the shit out of me when I kicked it back into some chemicals... The damn thing caught fire and I took that chance to run... Good thing I did, too, because in the next instant the place blew up!  
  
It was just blown to bits?  
  
Basically... If I had my sword I probably could've just chopped it up... As long as they're not in one piece I think they'll die..._

_  
_  
_Thanks Hayate..._  
  
Ayane countered yet another blow and threw the clone into the wall behind her.  
  
_Man... I don't think I could last in another "ninjato showdown"; I've wasted too much energy... She'd chop me up in seconds..._  
  
_'It was just blown to bits?'_ echoed through her skull.  
  
Ayane mentally groaned.  
  
_Damn it... this is going to suck... But I'll have to if it's the only way... Geez, do I even have enough energy for it?_  
  
Once again the clone jumped up and lunged for her, Ayane readied a kick and sent the clone into the furthest wall that she could.  
  
_Please don't get up just yet..._  
  
Ayane set her feet apart and made her hands form the necessary patterns... Her eyes grew dark as she began to chant the ancient text Genra had made her memorize in her training... It was a Hajinmon spell, the very first she learned, and it had only one purpose... To destroy Kasumi...  
  
The Kasumi clone was starting to get up, Ayane had almost completed the chant, and she could feel the power flowing to her hands... The clone stared at her with wide eyes, as if it knew what was coming...  
  
Quickly it sprang into action and ran at Ayane, but it was too late... Ayane was finishing her chant and the clone was too far away to do anything about it...  
  
Ayane aimed and braced herself as she pulled the mental trigger that released the pent up energy into one full blown blast just as the clone was about to strike her. It received the full blast, nothing spared, no energy wasted... The clone was blown back across the room and right through the stained glass window in one beautiful moment...  
  
Ayane stood, still in her firing position, and took deep breaths.  
  
_Just breath... Take it easy and breath...  
_  
It was a powerful blast, but it also took a great deal of energy to do... Once she was able to move she shook the feeling back into her arms and walked over to the window that the clone had crashed through. Down in the courtyard Ayane could see the twisted remains of the piece of shit, Kasumi clone.  
  
_Ha! Let's see you walk away from that..._  
  
But, while looking down, she spotted something, or should she say, someone else and it wasn't Kasumi either... It was Hayabusa...


	13. Forgive me

**Note-** There I was, happily typing away when, from out of no where, three of my closest friends busted into my room and grabbed me by my arms and legs! From there they dragged me out of my house, kicking and screaming, and threw me into the back of their van!  
When I came to I was in the living room of my friends beach cottage! After extensively beating the shit out of my school buddies and applying Kurmoi's stiletto attack on my two guy friends, they explained that it was an early B-day present...  
A whole vacation away from civilization... Even my parents had been in on it. (No wonder they didn't come to my aid...) Early morning walks on the beach and plenty of gaming... So I forgave them for their hostile and violent kidnapping of me from my home. My friend didn't have a computer so I couldn't work or update my story! Sorry for the wait!  
  
Oh... This is a short chapter. Sorry, but I'll make the next one longer...

Chapter 13:  
  
Everything had happened in slow motion... The window shattering, the lifeless body falling towards the earth... Each heartbeat seemed like an hour as the scene went on before him. Not even the dull "thump" of the body hitting the earth or the shower of glass around it was able to shake him from his daze...  
  
Hayate just stood there, frozen. Beside him, Hayabusa stepped away from the cover of the trees and knelt beside the twisted body, looking into the once bright eyes that were now dark with death.  
  
"Kasumi..."  
  
No, it's not possible... Not Kasumi... She couldn't be...  
  
But here she was, lying amongst the broken glass... Hayabusa placed his hand over her eyes and gently closed her lids, he had said something, but Hayate wasn't listening, only looking at the twisted figure before him.  
  
Hayabusa turned his head slightly as approaching footsteps made their way towards them and with one word he was thrown out of his daze and into the depths of anger...  
  
"Ayane..."  
  
She had come from the church path, slightly limping and taking steady breaths... She had been fighting... and she had won...  
  
"What's the matter? Aren't you happy to see me?" She had the nerve to jest with Hayabusa. Hayate's hand twitched for his swords hilt.  
  
She had killed Kasumi even after he had told her not to... She had disobeyed him and killed her without a second thought...  
  
Hayabusa regarded her with his indifferent gaze.  
  
"Are you the one who killed her, Ayane?"  
  
Ayane shrugged and walked over to the body.  
  
"Yeah, but the bitch gave me more of a fight then I had expected..." 

She raised her foot to kick the still corpse but Hayate had his blade at her neck before she could finish the movement. His golden-brown eyes held hers in a gaze that promised something worse then death if she didn't lower her foot.  
  
"How dare you..." His voice was so low Hayate himself didn't recognize it at first, "How dare you, Ayane..."  
  
"Hayate?" Ayane tried to step away from the blade before her but Hayate followed her step and kept the blade at its place. Beside them Hayabusa made a move to stop Hayate...  
  
"Hayate, calm down..."  
  
"Stay out of this, Ryu!" Hayate said, still glaring into Ayane's eyes, "Why Ayane? Why did you disobey me? Why... _How_ could you kill your own blood so easily?" Ayane said nothing; she just looked at him, then to his blade, then to Kasumi's dead body. Hayate tightened his grip on his sword, "Answer me!"  
  
She gave him no answer, only brought her eyes to meet his, and... She smiled...  
  
Hayabusa watched them, ready to knock Hayate's sword away if he needed to. Yes, Ayane had killed this person before them, but... this person wasn't Kasumi... Kasumi was...  
  
"Hayate..." He nearly dropped his sword when he heard it. The soft voice that called his name... He looked down at the body before him but it showed no signs of life. Behind him came the light footsteps he thought he'd never hear again. Slowly he turned and slowly she came into view... Her amber hair flowing behind her... Her blue gi a complete contrast to their surroundings...  
  
"Kasumi?"  
  
She nodded and came closer to him, placing her hand on his blade and lowering it from Ayane's neck. Ayane's smile had vanished the moment she had spoken and now she glared at the girl in front of her. Hayate let the sword fall from his grip...  
  
"Kasumi... How...?" He looked at the twisted body in front of him. Hayabusa stepped forward and picked up Hayate's sword.  
  
"It is a replica..." He said as if he were talking about one of his antiques, "A mere copy... I believe you have had an encounter with one yourself, Hayate." Hayabusa sliced the blade harmlessly through the air and handed it back to Hayate.  
  
"A clone..." Hayate said with incredible malice. He returned his blade to its sheath and looked at Ayane. The anger was slowly dying in Kasumi's presence, but his blood was still hot at the fact that she disobeyed him... again... and in the most horrible way... She tilted her head to the side and smirked at him.  
  
"What's the matter, Hayate? I thought that you were seriously going to kill me this time... Is your happiness for Kasumi's life so great that you've forgotten your anger over the death of a clone?" Ayane laughed, but it was a bitter laugh...  
  
"I don't know what's better... Having you happy and totally ignoring me, or having you so angry that I'm the only thing on your mind... Well, the thought of my death anyway..."  
  
Hayate turned away from her and her nonsense to look over Kasumi. She looked fine, but one of her arms looked stiff. Apparently she noticed the attention he gave to her arm and nodded, "A wound in my side, one that Ayane dealt to me earlier today..."  
  
He shot a glare in Ayane's direction and turned back to Kasumi, "You're not safe here... Our patrols come through here, please find somewhere safe to hide..."  
  
"But Hayate..." Kasumi lifted her eyes in Ayane's direction.  
  
"Don't worry about her, I'm here now... You'll be safe..."  
  
_ No... He wasn't going to just let her go like this was he?_  
  
"Hayate! As leader of the clan you're supposed to kill the runaway, not let her escape!"  
  
"Silence Ayane!" The anger had returned to his voice and his hand was on the hilt of his katana, "For one who has defied me and my orders you have no right to lecture me!" He turned back to Kasumi and took hold of her hand, "Follow me..."  
  
_ No... He's not doing this... He's not helping her when he should be killing her... He's the leader of the clan she defied! How can he do this?  
_  
_She's his sister and he loves her..._ The thought came to her easily since it was so obvious... _And he'll never care for you as he does for her..._ Her hand slid to her ninjato... She had made a vow this night... This blade demanded true blood, not that of a clone... She'd give him one last chance...  
  
"Kill her, Hayate... It's your duty..."  
  
Hayate didn't bother to turn around to acknowledge her request. He just held his sweet Kasumi's hand in his own and kept walking...  
  
_ So be it..._  
  
Ayane lunged forward at the retreating back in front of her, all aches and pains forgotten, her ninjato drawn and eager to taste the blood she had promised it... But before she could slice Kasumi's exposed back another blade parried her own... and it wasn't Hayate's...  
  
"Hayabusa!" Ayane said through clenched teeth, "Get out of my way!" Both Hayate and Kasumi were fading quickly into the surrounding darkness, if she didn't catch up now she'd have no chance of catching them, but Hayabusa stood firmly in front of her, showing no sign of backing down.  
  
"Stop this, Ayane... You're in no condition..."  
  
"To hell with my condition! All that matters is that I kill Kasumi!" Ayane pushed away from Hayabusa's blade and looked him square in the face, "Now move or I'll force my way past!"

Hayabusa sheathed his katana and just stood there, watching her. Ayane followed his motion and put the ninjato away, "Will you move?" Hayabusa shook his head slowly.  
  
"Ayane, don't do this..." His voice was quiet, his eyes downcast... Through this whole night, Hayabusa was the one obstacle Ayane didn't want to face; Hayate wouldn't have been a problem, but Hayabusa...

He was the one person who had shown her kindness, the only person who showed any signs about caring for her well-being and she still didn't know why... He had been too kind to her...  
  
Even though she knew it was possible, she didn't want it to come to this, having to fight him to get to Kasumi... But here they were... Kasumi was fleeing deeper into the forest and Hayabusa was standing in her way... What was she going to do now?  
  
_ If he won't move, I have no choice..._  
  
Ayane set her feet apart and balanced herself. Her body was sore but she could still manage a small fight... Just small enough to get past Hayabusa, then she could run after Kasumi... Hayabusa watched her take her stance but didn't move to make his own.  
  
"I don't want to fight you, Ayane..."  
  
"Then move..."  
  
"I can't... I still have a promise to keep to your brother..."  
  
"If you're so concerned about your promise then _don't_ complain about the consequences!" Ayane rushed forward, getting close enough that Hayabusa was only a punch away, but at the last second she faked to his right. At first she thought she would make it past him, but Hayabusa was too fast...

Before she could pass he grabbed her by her forearm and pulled her back towards him, wrapping his left arm around her neck firmly but not painfully. They were so close she could feel the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed steady breaths.  
  
"Please Ayane... Don't make me do this..."  
  
"Dumbass..." Her sprint had made her dizzy, but she wasn't going to give up, "I'm not making you do anything, your body's moving on it's own."  
  
"By now, both Hayate and Kasumi must be far from this forest, there's no reason to continue this..." His voice was barely a whisper in her ear.  
  
"Liar... They're still in the forest... I can still feel them..."

Hayabusa was holding her gently so it was easy to slip from his grasp. Hayabusa watched as she jumped away before he could grab her again.

Her legs were wobbling slightly, her eyes seemed to be having trouble focusing and she was breathing heavier then she should have been. If she kept this up she would stress her body out to no end.  
  
"Ayane, if you don't stop this..."  
  
"Shut up and get out of my way!" Ayane ran at him again but this time she didn't try to run past him. Instead, she aimed a punch for his face.  
  
_No more... I can't let her continue this... She'll hurt herself more then I ever could..._  
  
In one swift moment he grabbed her arm and threw her upwards. Ayane didn't know what was happening until the wind filled her senses. She could feel strong hands holding her sides as she plummeted downwards... But before she hit the ground, she could hear two words...  
  
"Forgive me..."  
  
And then, with the hard impact between her and the forest's floor, she fell into darkness...


	14. Morning after

Huh? You want to know why I've been gone for so long? Ok, I have a completly logical explanation... You see, there was this UFO...

Since Izuna is Ryu's move then don't you think he could adjust it to his liking? He could do it really hard, (Hehe) and smash someone (Ahahaha...) into the ground or he could do it light enough just to knock someone out... (That's my logic anyway...)

Wolf- C'mon now, do you really think that I would kill Ayane, and by Ryu's hands none the less? Where would my story go then?

Metal Overlord- Yeah! I love the Izuna! It rocks the pineapples!

Chapter 14:

"Ayane... Ayane-chan, please wake up..."

A voice... A sweet, familiar voice was calling her...

"Mommy...?" It wasn't her voice... It was the voice of a small child... She opened her eyes to see a beautiful face framed in amber hair looking down at her.

"Oh, Ayane!" Warm, slender arms surrounded her in an embrace she had forgotten long ago... "I was so worried!" A gentle hand began to stroke her hair. They sat in her mother's room. It was richly decorated with the faint scent of lavender in the air.

_Mother?! How can this be...? She's dead! _

"Ayane-chan?" A voice behind her called, "Are you ok, now?"

"Hayate?" Yes... It was Hayate, but... he was a little boy sitting there in a blue yukata...

_Ok... This is weird... What's going on?_

Ayane looked at her hands... They were so small... Ten stubby digits replaced her long, graceful fingers... She tried to stand up but a wave of dizziness knocked her back down.

"Please Ayane... Don't try to move just yet..." Gently she felt herself passed from her mothers lap to her brothers, "Hayate, watch your sister, I'm going to have a word with your father..." In one graceful movement her mother was up and walking out the door.

"Mommy!" Her mother didn't turn around and continued out the door. A hand stroking her hair made her look up. "Ni-san?"

"It's ok, Ayane-chan, everything will be alright... How do you feel?" Those golden-brown eyes looking down at her, no trace of anger or hate... Oh how she had missed those eyes... She turned in his lap and hugged him.

"Hayate... I feel dizzy... And my head hurts, what happened to me?" Hayate's eyes became sad, saying nothing he continued to stroke her hair, "Hayate?"

"Ni-san! I brought the herbs!"

_Oh god, no... Anything but her..._

"Thank you, Kasumi..." Hayate said as a little Kasumi walked into the room in her pink yukata, handing a cup to Hayate, "Drink this, Ayane, it should take away your dizziness..." With the cup put to her lips she drank the rich mixture of herbs, wrinkling her nose at its earthy smell. Kasumi knelt beside her and Hayate.

"Do you feel better now, Ayane-chan?" She asked in her sickening sweet voice. Ayane couldn't help glaring at her and it earned her a surprised look from both of her siblings. "What's wrong? Does it hurt really bad?" When Kasumi reached out a hand, Ayane pulled away from it.

"Don't touch me!" Kasumi's face held a hurt expression as she returned her hand to her lap.

"Ayane, don't be mean! Kasumi's just worried about you. " Hayate scolded her.

_No she's not... She's just trying to make herself look good in front of you, Hayate..._

Ayane pushed away from her brother and staggered to her feet, the herbs taking their sweet time to work. Kasumi grabbed her arm to help balance her, "Please don't stand just yet Ayane-chan..."

"Let go of me!" Ayane yelled as she pulled her arm away from Kasumi, "And stop calling me _Ayane-chan_!" She headed for the door, Hayate's voice calling after her.

"Ayane, where are you going? Ayane!"

_Ayane? Ayane! Ayane..._ His voice was getting farther away... Softer... Quiet...

"Ayane?"

_Wait... That's not Hayate's voice... _

"Ayane, please wake up..."

_It's... _

Ayane slowly opened her eyes, a dull thudding repeating itself in her head. Emerald eyes lined with concern looked down at her.

"Hayabusa?" The green eyed super ninja nodded his head and sat back in the chair he had brought to her bedside. "Where am I? At your...?" Hayabusa shook his head, his almond hair following the movement.

"We're at your apartment... Now that I know where you live I didn't think you would like waking up at my place..." Ayane didn't bother to sit up, she just let her head sink into her pillow, wishing the thudding would end.

"What time is it?" She asked with her eyes closed.

"It's ten in the morning... How do you feel?"

"Man I'm getting tired of waking up to you asking how I feel... It's like we're married or something..." She could've used any analogy... Why the hell did she have to use that one? Letting out a sigh she answered his question, "My head hurts... A lot..." Guilt instantly spread across Hayabusa's face as he looked to the floor.

_Wait a second, guilt? What the hell does the almighty super ninja have to feel guilty for?_

It was at that moment the memory of the previous night came back to her. Going to the demon's church, fighting the Kasumi clone, fighting Hayabusa... Falling into darkness... Instantly she sat up and glared at him. "What the hell did you do to me?"

"The Izuna... A technique that..."

"I know what it is! My head is _still_ paying the price of that knowledge!" Ayane tore her eyes from him and cursed under her breath, "And now Kasumi has escaped... Once again I've failed..." Ayane slammed her fist into the bed, "Damn it... Damn it! Why Hayabusa?!" She turned back to him, "Why did you stop me? Why did you have to get in the way?!"

Hayabusa said nothing. He merely looked at her with his indifferent face, but his eyes were filled with guilt... Just seeing his eyes, those eyes that looked at her without malice, filled with guilt was enough to make her forget her anger...

But she didn't, her fight against Kasumi had gone on for a lifetime... Just getting to know Hayabusa for the last week wasn't enough to calm her rage... Even if they were close, which Ayane wasn't sure, that would only mean that he betrayed her for Kasumi...

Ayane reached forward and grabbed him by his shirt, jerking him towards her. The strange thing was... he didn't fight back... He just let her pull him forward. "Answer me, damn you!" She didn't think he was going to say anything, that he would just sit there and stare at her, but he did answer her...

"I didn't want Hayate to kill you... In the state that he was in I doubt he would've hesitated to sheath his blade in your flesh... I didn't want him to suffer through that..." Ayane released her hold on his shirt and looked away from him.

_Hayate would've killed me? It's possible... Even more since Kasumi was there..._

"Hayate suffer my death? Yeah right! He'd probably be jumping for joy!" She said with mock laughter. "If I were dead then he wouldn't have to worry about anyone trying to kill Kasumi... He would be freed from the burden of having me as a sister..." Ayane looked down at her hands, "If I were dead... No one would care..."

"Don't say that Ayane... There are those who would care..." Ayane laughed a bitter laugh.

"Yeah? And who would that be? Don't say Hayate, because..." Hayabusa grabbing her arm pulling her to him cut her off. He wrapped his arms around her in a soft embrace, "What the... Hayabusa?" She said against his shoulder.

"I would care, Ayane... It would hurt me greatly to see you die..." His voice was low... low and filled with some emotion she couldn't place. Was it guilt? Maybe sadness? "And yes... Hayate does care, he may not show it enough, but he does... So please, don't say no one would care... Don't talk as if your life isn't worth anything..."

She didn't know how long they had been sitting there... Him holding her... Her being held by him... It was all too confusing... Why was he saying this? He wouldn't let her chase after Kasumi because he didn't want her to die? It made no sense...

"Hayabusa..."

"Someone's knocking at your front door..." He said as he broke the embrace to stand, "I'll get it... You should rest..." Ayane sat frozen on the bed as she watched him walk out of the door and into the hallway.

_I have to be dreaming... Hayabusa didn't just hug me... Did he? He didn't just tell me that he really cares for me... No, there's just no way... I still asleep, that's it! I'm asleep and I'm about to wake up to my empty room... Any moment now... C'mon... Wake up... I said wake up, damn you!_

Ayane started to pound her fist against her forehead but she still didn't wake up. All of this was real... Hayabusa hugged her and there was nothing she could do to about it...

_Besides beating the living shit out of him! Why the hell did he do that!? Every time I see Hayabusa more and more question pile up in my head... _

"Argh! Why does he have screw with _my _head?" Ayane tossed her blankets back and noticed she was still wearing her gi from last night.

_Well duh... It's not like Hayabusa would undress me to put on my nightclothes..._ The very thought made her cheeks run scarlet, _Gah! Don't think of that! Stupid, stupid, stupid..._

Thankfully it was easy to stand compared to her other mornings after battles, "Who would be knocking at my door? I don't think it would Hayate... Not after last night..." But when she left her room and made her way to the living room she only saw Hayabusa by the open door and he was holding a letter.

"What's that?" She asked, knocking Hayabusa from his intent reading of the letter.

_Aw man... How can I even look at him now... He hugged me... No guy's hugged me since Hayate and I were little..._

"It's for you..."

"And yet you're reading it..." She mumbled to herself.

"Forgive me... but..." Hayabusa handed her the letter and she instantly understood why he had been surprised. The letter bore the seal of the Mugen Tenshin... But if she thought that was a surprise, then she was mistaken... The letters content stole her breath before she could curse...

_Ayane of the Hajinmon_

_This letter is sent from the Mugen estate to inform you of the death of the Mugen Tenshin runaway, Kasumi. Your presence is asked to attend the burning of the body on the marrow. This is an order from Hayate himself... _

Ayane read the letter again and again but she still couldn't believe it...

Kasumi was... **_Dead!?_**


	15. More lies

Note from the MIA Nashi: Hello all, sorry it's been so long, but aside from moving and schoolwork, my computer somehow fried itself... So now, I'm using the school's computer network.

Nashi: "Aw! Even though I've been gone so long people are still reviewing! I love you all!"

Kurmoi: "Naaaassshhi!!!"

Nashi: _"Nani!?"_

_The excited Kurmoi pounces on Nashi._

Kurmoi: "You've returned! How wonderful! _Now where's Ryu!?"_

Nashi: "He's... ack... he's in the story... Now please get off me... I need to breath..." _wheeze!_

Nashi is released from Kurmoi's grasp as she bounces off towards the story.

Kurmoi: "I'm coming Ryu!"

Nashi:"... I'm going to have to apologize to Hayabusa later..." _wheeze..._

__

Chapter 15:

The trees passed by her in green blurs as her legs carried her with unwavering speed.

_There's no way... There's just no way she could be dead... She left with Hayate and unless he finally came to his senses then she should still be alive! Damn you, Hayabusa, if you hadn't stopped me..._

The note she received at her house now lay shredded in her pocket. After she had reread the note over and over again she instantly ran out of the apartment.

_"Stop, Ayane..." Hayabusa grabbed her arm, "You're not well..." Ayane gave him a look that even he could not place. It wasn't a glare... nor did it show any sign of depression...it was just... A look..._

_"No, Hayabusa, I'm not well...I haven't been well for a long time..." She pulled her arm from his grasp and turned her back to him, "And, thanks to you, I've gone from bad to worse...So do me a favor and stop helping me." _

The memory of her apartment left her as she focused on the trees ahead of her. It wouldn't be long before she reached the estate... It wouldn't be long until she knew the truth... Had Kasumi been killed? Who killed her? Was it Hayate or one of the other Shinobi?

But... There was no way... She _had_ to be alive! She just had to! If she was dead... Then all the time Ayane spent tracking her... All the times Ayane had failed to kill her... It would've all been for nothing...

With the light from Hayate's estate quickly coming into view, Ayane pushed herself even faster. Two guards stood outside the giant gates wearing blank expressions, neither of them bothered to move, even with Ayane standing before them.

"Open the gates..." Ayane said, somewhat out of breath. Neither of the two made any sign of moving to help her, "Didn't you hear me? Open the gates... Now!"

"Forgive us," spoke the one to her right, "but entry is not permitted."

"What the hell do you mean, '_entry is not'..._" A flash of orange light caught Ayane's attention.

To see a fire burning was no big deal, firelight was preferred over electricity to light the grounds, but this fire was far too large just to light the courtyard... unless...

_Oh no... They've already started!_

"Hayate himself sent me an order to come, so open these gates right now!"

"He has also given us an order... One not to let anyone pass through the gates once the funeral has began... So, as we have said before, entry is..." Ayane's fist in the man's face cut him off. His partner made a move to do something, but he was too slow and fell victim to Ayane's kick.

"How's that for '_not permitted_'?"

Taking a few steps back, Ayane got a running start towards the gate. Just before she reached it, she sprang up, landed one foot on the gate, and used her hand to flip herself the rest of the way over.

The courtyard was filled with possibly everyone in the Mugen clan, and with her flip many of them scattered to get out of her way as she landed on her feet.

As Ayane looked around her surroundings she found many of the clan members giving her nasty looks while others simply returned their gaze to the large fire in the center of the courtyard.

Hayate stood ahead of everyone else, his gaze locked on the fire also.

Ayane held herself back from running straight to the fire and managed a dignified walk towards the blazing wood.

_Please... Don't let it be she..._

As she walked closer, a dark spot within the flames made her breath catch in her thought.

_Anyone but her..._

The flames danced around the corpse, but, even through the fires brilliance, she could clearly see that the body was not Kasumi, but Kasumi's clone.

"Of course..." She mumbled to herself. Deep inside her heart she released a sigh. Kasumi would still be hers to kill, but... Hayate had lied... Not just to her, but to his entire clan.

Breaking her gaze from the burning corpse she looked to Hayate. Apparently he had been watching her... He had to know she would see through this charade. They both stood there, waiting to see what the other would do.

Slowly the fire burned down, the lesser ranks leaving Ayane and Hayate alone in the courtyard. None dared to say anything to either sibling. Once they were alone Hayate broke their locked gaze and headed for his room, behind him Ayane silently followed.

Once in his room, the door was closed and they sat across from each other. The staring contest began again, until Ayane spoke...

"You lied..." She started.

"Yes, I did..." He responded.

Once again silence fell around them. Outside in the garden cicadas and crickets sang their night songs. The trees rustled in the wind and once in a while a fish would jump from the pond, causing a splash, as it returned to it's watery home.

The outside was alive... but the inside was colder then death...

"Where is she?"

"Where is who?"

"You know who I mean..."

"Do I?"

"Yes, you do! Now cut the act and tell me what you did with the real Kasumi!"

Hayate looked out towards the garden, sighing to himself, "Just forget about Kasumi, Ayane... As far as the clan is concerned, she's dead..."

"Hayate!"

"And!" He interrupted her, "Because you were the one who destroyed the clone, I'm willing to over look the fact that you disobeyed orders, not to mention that you broke into Hayabusa's apartment..."

"I didn't brake in! The door was open!"

"That's absurd! Hayabusa would never leave his door unlocked."

"Actually Hayate..." Came an unexpected voice from the garden, "The door was open..." Hayabusa stepped into view.

"_Hayabusa!?"_ Ayane said somewhat surprised and yet... she felt as if she knew this would happen all along...

"That's not like you Hayabusa..."

"I had my reasons..."

_What the...? When did he get here!? _

"I hope you don't mind, Ayane, but I asked Ryu to be here also..."

"Oh... I don't mind... Just tell him to keep his hands off of me..." A quick sign of emotion flashed across Hayabusa's face but it quickly returned to its indifferent state. Hayate tossed a confused look to his friend but decided it better not to ask, "Why does he have to be here anyway? This is between you and me, not him..."

"I have asked him to come and witness our conversation so there will be no need for repeating in the future..."

_Great...So Hayabusa's here to be my babysitter..._

Hayabusa quietly took his place in a corner separate from them. Once settled, he closed his eyes and bowed his head in a relaxed position. Though it didn't look like it, Ayane knew he was listening.

_When did he get here? There's no way he could've gotten here before me... I left before him, not to mention he changed his clothes..._

"Ayane..."

_He must've done that teleporting thing... I've got to learn how to do that..._

"Ayane, are you listening?"

"Yes," Ayane lied, "Now get on with it..."

"Very well..." Hayate muttered, "As you know, the body that burned in the fire was not Kasumi... It was the clone that you defeated the other night..."

"Tell me something I don't know..."

Ignoring the last comment Hayate continued, "But as I've said earlier, as far as the clan is concerned the runaway is dead. Kasumi is dead..." Hayate paused as if just saying those words brought him pain, "Naturally, this means that you no longer have a reason to hunt Kasumi..."

"I have plenty of reasons...!" Ayane started but was soon cut off.

"None of which have to do with this clan... Which brings me to say this..."

Hayate looked Ayane straight in the eye, "If you continue to hunt Kasumi, you will be doing it of your own free will... which will mean, that if you kill her... You will be nothing more then a murderer and I'll be forced to exile you..." He paused again, considering something else, "Maybe even kill you..."

Hayate's last statement surprised even Hayabusa... Was he really serious? Would he actually hunt her down and take her life... just as she planned for Kasumi...?

"Hayate... That's not fair..."

"No, Ayane... It's our code... our law... and as leader, I plan to take action wherever needed..."

"Take action wherever need? You mean just as you _'took action'_ with Kasumi? Don't make me laugh!" Her voice was trembling with rage, "You're the biggest hypocrite I've ever known..."

The room fell once again into silence, even the outside life died as Ayane and Hayate locked gazes for the last time.

"As I have said before..." His voice barely a whisper, "If you kill Kasumi, I will kill you..." Hayate stood and walked to the door as if what he just said was nothing more then a common goodbye, "Now... get out of my sight..."

Even death wouldn't have made her feel so cold... so frozen... It was as if her blood had drained itself from her body.

_If I kill Kasumi, Hayate will kill me...my life means nothing to him..._

Her body seemed to move on it's own, removing itself from Hayate's room like a lifeless doll...


	16. Never ok

Nashi's Note Time! - Hello, bit of a mushy chapter here... so bare with me...

Kurmoi- Oh my... Let me guess, you think Ryu is... sexy? Am I right? Am I?

Littlematchgirl- Impatient much? Good things come with time... But I promise I'll work much harder!

Chapter 16:

As Ayane's figure slowly faded into the darkness of the corridor Hayate closed his room door. Moments passed in silence as he contemplated what he had said.

_Is this the right choice...? Yes... Yes, it is. It has to be..._

Hayate turned away from his door and found Hayabusa, eyes open and standing, watching him.

"God, Ryu... Don't look at me like that..."

"I'm not looking at you in any manner, Hayate..." Somehow his face remained a mask as he spoke these words, "The look you see is only what you mind tells you to see... It's all a state of mind..."

"Well great... That must mean I have a guilty mind!" Hayate spoke with sarcasm, "But..." His voice became quiet, "I have no regrets about this choice... It had to be done. It was the only way..."

"The only way?" Hayabusa repeated him, "The only way to save a life is by threatening another?"

"With Ayane it is!" Hayate said, louder then he meant. He turned away from Hayabusa and stepped out into the garden. All went silent as he made his way to the pond, "Actually, threatening her wasn't the only way..." He said once he reached the ponds edge, "I could've killed her on the spot! That would both keep Kasumi safe _and_ save me the trouble of having to explain myself to you!"

Hayabusa remained silent, restraining himself from running to his friend and beating some sense into him. How could he say something so easily? Something so cruel, so heartless... The whole ordeal with the clan, Kasumi, and Ayane had changed him...

"Hayate... Have you ever thought that your words could hurt Ayane more then a blade through her chest? If you killed her then at least she wouldn't have to suffer anymore..."

Hayate didn't feel like considering Hayabusa's words. Tonight was supposed to be the end of his worries... He was able to end the assassination attempt on Kasumi, he had laid down the law with Ayane, and everything seemed to be falling into place...

_But..._

"Ryu... I..." Hayate began but stopped as soon as he noticed that Hayabusa was no longer in his room...

_0000000000_

Hayabusa hurried along each corridor as he searched for Ayane. If he knew Ayane, right now wasn't the best time for her to be alone.

_Hayate may have had his reasons... but this is unforgivable. He's knows how emotional Ayane can become..._

Lucky for him, he didn't have to search long. Ayane was standing just outside the front gates, "Ayane..."

At the sound of her name Ayane turned slowly towards him but said nothing. Her eyes just seemed to look in his general direction, not at him... Saying nothing she turned away from him and started to walk off to the surrounding forest. Hayabusa didn't bother to run up beside her, but decided it better to just follow behind her and let her have her space...

The summer was ending and fall was beginning to change the forest... The summer's heat was dying, leaves were changing colors, and fireflies were becoming scarcer. Clouds had begun to gather in the sky and the wind was picking up... It would probably rain soon...

On and on they walked. How much further was she planning on walking? Did she have a set destination or was she just aimlessly wandering? But... It didn't really matter to Hayabusa... He would follow her for as long as he needed too.

The forest around them gave way to a clearing. In this clearing a river made its way to the edge of a cliff and jumped into a waterfall. These surroundings made him feel a bit nervous about Ayane. She wasn't planning to jump off that cliff, was she?

As Ayane walked closer and closer to the cliffs edge Hayabusa readied him to dash forward if she decided to jump. But she simply stopped before the cliffs edge and stared off towards the horizon.

"Do you remember this place, Hayabusa?" It was a simple question, but it caught him a bit off guard. As he took a better look at their surroundings his memory of their location returned to him.

"I remember... You used to come here often when you still lived at the estate..."

"Yes... I use to come here all the time when I was a child... To escape the clan... Or just to find a little peace... This spot was my safe haven..." This was the first time Hayabusa had ever heard such calm in Ayane's voice. It was a relief but it was also a bit unnerving. Like the calm before the storm...

"I always came here when I needed to cry..." Slowly she sat down on her knees, "I hated to let the clan see me cry... Hated how they would all just ignore my presence... If it wasn't for my mother..." Ayane paused in mid-sentence.

"You loved your mother very much, didn't you?" Hayabusa spoke as he closed the distance between them to stand behind her.

"Yeah... She was the only one who truly cared for me other then Genma and even though I would say that he didn't, deep down, I used to think that Hayate cared about me too, but..." He could see the shaking in her shoulders... She was trying not to cry, "But I know now that he hates me too..."

"Ayane..."

"Don't try to say that he cares about me!" She yelled at him, "You heard him yourself! '_If you kill Kasumi, I will kill you_', that's not something you'd usually say to someone you love!" She paused to take a breath, "The only reason he has looked after me for so long was because he felt obligated to his mother... our mother..." A glimmer over her shoulder caught his attention.

_What is it?_

"I should've died long ago... It would have been better for everyone."

_A blade!?_

Hayabusa quickly reached forward and grabbed Ayane's arm. Sure enough, she held a small kunai in her fist. Her eyes were downcast, looking away from him.

_God... Not again..._

"Hayabusa... Please... Just let me die here..." Ayane looked up at him, her eyes brimmed with tears, pleading, "Let me end my suffering..."

No... He couldn't be hearing this... Not from Ayane... Not from the girl that would always find some smart remark to say to anyone, the one who would always vow to finish what she had started... Not from the girl who would cry in her sleep and call out her brother's name... Not from her...

Hayabusa easily pulled the kunai from her hand and threw it off the cliffs edge. Ayane said nothing as she watched the weapon fall into the forest below. The wind rustled their hair and one by one raindrops began to fall from the sky until they were completely drenched in the raging downpour. Kneeling beside her, Hayabusa pulled her closer to him, sheltering her from the rain.

"Why Ayane? Why are you so eager to end your life?" Ayane said nothing as he held her, "I know that you've suffered... I know it's been hard on you, but can't you just put it behind you? Can't you live for the future and not for the past?"

"You don't understand Hayabusa..." She said against his shoulder, "Killing Kasumi has been my goal for so long... I have to finish my task... But Hayate..." Her body began to shake and it wasn't from the cold rain, "But if I do kill her now, Hayate... The brother that I thought loved me... Will kill me..."

Ayane began to give small sobs and Hayabusa held her tighter, "Ayane... What drives you to hate Kasumi so?"

"Why...?" She stopped her sobs, "Because... Because she's a bitch! She was always the perfect daughter! Everybody loved her, still loves her... so much... And they all hate me..."

"I have a feeling that there's more to it then that... You're not telling me something..." Ayane feel quiet... The sound of the rain pelting them filled Hayabusa's ears.

"Because of Kasumi..." Ayane spoke, "Because of Kasumi... My mother is dead..."

"Kasumi killed your mother?" He said somewhat shocked.

"Not in the way you're thinking..." Ayane adjusted herself in his arms, trying to avoid being pelted in the face, "We were little... Some called it an accident... Most blamed me for it..."

Hayabusa listened quietly as the rain pounded against his back. He already knew that Ayane's mother was said to have drowned, but how she ended up drowning was never told to him.

"Mother had brought us, Hayate, Kasumi, and me, out here to the forest to play... But Kasumi didn't listen to mother's warnings not to play near the cliff... And sure enough, the dumb bitch lost her balance and almost fell off..." Ayane paused, "She would've died right then and there had it not been for Hayate and I, and we were able to grab her before she fell completely off... The thing is, she wouldn't keep still and because of it, she managed to throw me off in her place..."

Ayane stopped as Hayabusa covered her from the rain's torrent against their bodies. They were so drenched that he could feel her body heat through his clothes. "The rain is getting harder..."

"I thought I was going to die that day..." She said against his shoulder, apparently not hearing his remark, "But I didn't... My mother had grabbed me, but it was too late to pull me back up, she would've fallen with me... So instead, she grabbed my arm and threw herself forward as she flung me back... Using the momentum to throw me back onto the cliff..."

Hayabusa didn't know what to say. He knew all to well how hard it was to discuss a mother's death...

"It just gets to me... She wouldn't have died if we hadn't come to this cliff, if Kasumi hadn't been so stupid... My mother would still be alive... Everything would've been different..." He could hear the tears in her voice, "But no... When we returned to the estate the story was told and the finger was pointed at me... _I_ should've fallen, _I_ should've been killed, and_ I_ was the tainted one..." Her crying had taken over, the soft sobs and the tears mixed with the rain.

"Ayane... I know it must've been hard for you... But you have to think. You're mother died that day because she wanted you to live, knowing that, can you so easily throw away the last gift your mother gave you, the chance to live?"

Ayane quieted as she thought it over, but he doubted that it would be enough to calm her hatred for Kasumi. The girl had initiated her mother's death... But it was an accident, they were merely children... And yet, Ayane was a mere child that had to endure so much hate. Growing up in an environment like that truly scars a child...

"Let us get out of the rain... We'll catch our deaths out here..." Standing, Hayabusa pulled Ayane up with him.

"What...? No!" Ayane jerked out of his arms and away from him. "Stop trying to help me Hayabusa! I don't need your pity!" Anger had taken the place of her sorrow.

"Ayane, I'm not giving you pity..."

"Well, I don't need your help either!" She said. The girl who had no family to turn to, the girl who would be killed if she continued on her most desired quest, the girl that was standing soaked in the rain with eyes red from crying, "...Thank you for talking with me... But, as I've said before... stop helping me..."

The pain was so clear in her voice... Why couldn't she just let him help her? She had turned her back on him and was now walking away. He knew she would refuse to let him at least walk her home so all he could do was say...

"Everything will be ok, Ayane..." Hearing this she turned back to look at him and gave a weak smile.

"Hayabusa... You should know by now... Everything will never be 'ok'..."

**0End chapter0**

Nashi- Hehe, I made Ryu kinda clingy in this chapter...

Ayane- you're telling me!

Hayabusa (all cute and chibi) - But Ayane...

Ayane- Leggo' already! (Bonks Ryu on the head)

Hayabusa (holds his head) - Owie...

Kurmoi- Fear not, Ryu! You can cling onto me!!!

Hayabusa- Oh god! She's back!

Nashi- Attack of the fangirl... Take two...

Hayabusa- Hey! You're the author! Can't you do something? (Struggles to hold Kurmoi back)

Nashi- Naw bro... I'm done with this chapter... and I have a major case of the munchies... How 'bout you, Ayane?

Ayane- Hmmm, sure... but you're treating...

Nashi- Figures...

(Both Ayane and Nashi leave Hayabusa to his uncertain doom)

Kurmoi- Yay, Ryu! You're all mine!

Hayabusa- Author! Ayane! Somebody!!! Dear god, save me!


	17. Mother's Love

Nashi- Writing this chapter was kinda confusing because it has a dream with Ayane's mom, Ayame, in it. If you hadn't noticed, their names are really close... I had to keep going back and checking that I didn't put Ayane instead of Ayame or vise versa...

Oh... my... sweet Jesus... DOA: Ultimate finally came out here in the U.S. (It's so...pretty...) I started to watch the opening movie at my friend's house when my boyfriend plugged in his controller and skipped it! I haven't seen it since! Nor have I played story mode yet! Argh! I'm losing sleep because of this!

Sephiroth- I've never reached the end of Ninja Gaiden... (I couldn't get past the fourth stage...) So I don't know how Hayabusa acts at the end... But yeah, I know Hayabusa's off, many a time I've kicked myself after rereading certain chapters...

Chapter 17:

"Ayane-chan! Hurry up! Mother and Kasumi are waiting!" A young Hayate called to his little sister. An energetic Ayane stumbles out of their room and into her brother's arms, "Easy there! What's taking you so long?"

"Oni-chan! I can't find my other sock! Have you seen it?" Ayane waved her one sock at him. Hayate looked at his sister head to toe, shaking his head when he finished.

"You're such a scatter brain! Look, you've got one sock in you're hand and the other's already on your foot!" The little Ayane investigated what her brother had said and bubbled with laughter.

"No wonder I couldn't find it in my closet!" Hayate laughed also and extended his hand to her once she finished putting on her zori (traditional Japanese sandals)

"Come now, little one!"

"Right!" Ayane took hold of his hand and they headed off to meet their mother and sister.

0000000000

Lightening from the outside illuminated his room for brief moment, knocking him from his daze. He didn't know for how long he had been sitting against the wall, drifting in and out of a light sleep, but it must have been for awhile since the rain was starting to flood the pond.

Running a hand through his hair, he sat up and started to think about the faint memory of when he and Ayane were once happy together...

_So many things have changed...But, have I really changed?_

Wet footsteps caught his attention as someone slowly approached his garden, "Who in their right mind would be... Ryu?" He said the name somewhat uncertain of what he saw, but sure enough, it was the super-ninja walking, completely drenched, up to his veranda.

"Hayate... Let us talk..." His green eyes seemed to glow against their dreary surroundings. Hayate simply nodded and stepped aside as Hayabusa joined him in his room.

"Would you like some dry clothes?"

"No."

"You're going to catch a cold like that..."

"I've been though worse..." Hayate shook his head in defeat, and motioned Hayabusa to take a seat.

"What do you want to talk about?" Hayate was now regretting not forcing Hayabusa to change into dry clothes... He was dripping everywhere...

"You mother..." The topic took him aback.

"Why?"

"She drowned correct?" He went straight to the point.

"Yes..." Hayate wasn't sure if he liked the way this was going.

"How did she drown?"

"Something tells me that you already know... She drowned saving Ayane..." Hayabusa seemed determined to get information, and if he knew his friend well enough, he knew that he would get what he wanted...

"Is this what the clan was told?"

"Yes."

"Did they know that Ayane was put into that position due to Kasumi...?"

"...Yes..."

"So even though they knew that Kasumi was responsible for putting Ayane in danger that your mother had to save her, they only bore hate for Ayane?"

"Yes..."

"Why?"

"Because... They all felt that Ayane shouldn't have been given life to begin with..." Hayate paused to see if Hayabusa would have anything to say about his last statement, but he said nothing, "You know... When my mother told me I would soon have another little sister, I was excited... But everyone else seemed to be yelling and arguing about it... Do you know why her birth was so dishonorable?"

"My father once told me..."

"Good, so I don't have to explain it to you." Hayate pulled his eyes away from his friend and to the garden, "My father started to drink heavily and my mother went into a depression... But when the time came for Ayane to be born, father stopped drinking and started to worry more about mother..." Laughing, rather oddly, Hayate looked back to Hayabusa, "Do you know how pissed he would've been if mother had died in giving birth to Ayane?"

Hayabusa didn't see anything funny about it, nor did he say anything, "But Ayane was born safely... Given to a wet nurse and mother came back home..." Hayate seemed to be talking to himself now, needed no more prodding from his friend.

"Everything went back to normal for a while... But, when Ayane was old enough, she came home and everything started to go wrong again... Ayane was very young, so she probably didn't know anything about us being half-siblings. One day, she made the mistake of calling my father "daddy".

0000000000

Hayate watched in horror as Ayane fell down, her cheek starting to swell from the blow his father had given to her.

"How dare you enter this room?" His father exclaimed. They had just sat down to dinner when the young Ayane entered the dining room.

"But... Why can't I eat with everyone else?" Tears started to fall from the young child's eyes, "Why do you hate me so much, daddy?" Hayate had never seen his father so angry mad before as he delivered a second blow to her face.

"Don't you _ever_ confuse me for your father! You are the source of my disgrace! You are the embodiment of dishonor!" He raised his hand for a third time but Hayate got in his way.

"Please father, stop this!" He pleaded.

"Move, Hayate, don't try to protect this whelp..." Not once in his life had Hayate ever dreamed of disobeying his father, but now something told him to try to stop him at all costs.

"No! You're going too far!" The blow meant for Ayane was now given to Hayate.

"Daddy, no!" Came the cry of a young Kasumi from the dining table. With the stinging sensation on his face Hayate looked at his father with disbelief.

"Remember boy... I am your father... You will obey me when I tell you to do something." His father looked past him and to Ayane who had passed out from his last blow, "That girl is a mistake. She was never meant to be born... She will forever be a blemish on the Mugen Tenshin clan..." With those last words his father left the room.

0000000000

"Where was you're mother during all this?" Hayabusa didn't want to believe what he was hearing, but it was coming straight from Hayate so it had to be true...

"I don't know. Usually she and Ayane would eat together in her room. But mother wasn't there that night..." Hayate's face flinched with an emotion as another thought passed through his head.

"Hayate?"

"You know, I think... She was in another room... Crying..." Hayate's eyes didn't blink as he spoke, they looked like a small boys eyes, shocked from reliving the experience. "I used to come across her... in a different room each time... Crying..."

Hayabusa didn't know what he could say. Such a topic such as comforting a friend wasn't necessary to a ninja... It came naturally to him when Ayane was involved... But with Hayate it was different...

"She always said she was fine... But I could see the expression she wore whenever she thought no one was looking..." Looking to his friend Hayate stated quietly, "She was depressed Ryu... Everything that she had been through... Randou's attack, the burden of carrying his child, Father would lecture her each night about how disgraced he was... He would yell at her, sometimes beat her for not getting rid of Ayane."

Hayate looked back to the floor, "That day... When she saved Ayane... She wasn't scared at all... It was as if she was ready to die, she just hadn't brought herself to suicide..." He paused as he considered what he was going to say next, "She had been looking for a place to die... Ayane had just given her the chance..."

Hayate hid his face from Hayabusa, not wanting to show him the pain he felt inside. No one had killed their mother... She had killed herself... willingly...

"Hayate..."

"I told you everything you've asked for, Ryu... Now, unless you're going to ask me for more of my families depressing past, please leave..." Hayabusa nodded but he didn't think Hayate would've cared if he did or not. Stepping out to the veranda, Hayabusa closed the door behind him.

_Ayane... Hayate and Kasumi... So much has happened to each of you..._

Looking towards the sky Hayabusa determined that it wasn't going to stop raining anytime soon.

_I guess I'll have to consider this all later... It's time to head home... _

0000000000

"Kasumi, you'll have to stay still so I can tie this..." Ayame said as she struggled with an energetic Kasumi.

"But mom! You're tying it too tight! I can't breath!" Kasumi fussed as her mother adjusted the obi of her vibrant, pink kimono.

"It has to be tight or else your kimono will fall apart... there! All done!" Kasumi took a couple of steps forward but then started to adjust her obi to her liking, "Kasumi!"

"You may as well give up, mother." Called Hayate as he approached them with Ayane in tow.

"Well now, don't we look handsome, Hayate..." Ayame complimented her son in his fresh, green Yukata, "And Ayane... Come here so I can get a better look at you." Ayane stepped forward and did a small twirl for her mother.

_It's a little big, but not as large as I thought it would be._

"You look very pretty, Ayane." She patted her daughter on the head.

"Mommy, how come me and Hayate got new clothes, but Ayane didn't?"

"Hayate and I." Ayame corrected her, "And don't say 'got' it's not a word... Now come along, we're late." She said, trying to avoid having to answer Kasumi's question. She didn't know how to tell them that their father, Kasumi and Hayate's father, refused to buy Ayane anything.

_"It's enough that I let another man's child to live in my household despite the dishonor it brings me... If you insist on keeping that child then 'it' is your responsibility. I'll have nothing to do with her!"_

The words still hurt her... She loved her husband, but he could be so cruel... Ayame had made Ayane's kimono by modifying one of her old ones. She could still remember how happy Ayane was when she opened the wrapped box her mother had handed her.

_"Oh wow!" Ayane exclaimed as she lifted the kimono from the box._

_"I'm sorry it's not new, but I promise it'll fit you..."_

_"I don't care that it's not new." Ayane smiled, "I love it because you made it for me!"_

The sweet memory made her smile, "Mommy?" A small hand grasped her own. Ayame looked down at Ayane, "You're smiling... Are you happy?"

She may not have planned to have this child, and Ayane may have been conceived in a horrible manner... but she would never give her up... Ayame bent down and scooped her child up to hug her.

"I'm very happy, Ayane ..."

0000000000

Awakening from her dream, Ayane opened her eyes slightly to her dark room.

"No... Just a little longer..." She pleaded as she closed her eyes in a futile attempt to return to her dream. She had gotten home and went straight to bed after changing out of her soaked clothes.

Sitting up she ran her hands through her hair and looked towards her window. Rain was still pounding down the streets and the wind seemed to be ravaging the remaining leaves on the trees.

Even with this sight before her there was only one thing she could think of...

"Mother..."


	18. Turned Tables

Disclaimer- I don't own "Dead or Alive", so get over it!

Nashi- Hiya, to all my little readers out there, thank you all for the wonderful reviews! I love you all!

I finally tracked down my friend and forced him to play DOA: Ultimate. The opening movie is so beautiful... To those of you dense enough to not have noticed yet, I love Ayane! She totally rocks! (And she was so cute when she was little!)

As for Ninja Gaiden... It shall have to wait until I have a bit more patience...

Oh! I guess I should give you all a little heads up... I'm in a good mode today, so this chapter won't be depressing as the last ones... Hehe!

Once again, no Indents... What the crap is going on?

Chapter 18:

When she awoke it was still raining... The streets were starting to flood and the trees were being tossed about as the wind played a harsh game with them.

Ayane busied herself with a piece of wood, fixing her broken window which she had forgotten about in her hurry to see Hayate the night before. Unfortunately for her, the window had let a large pool of rainwater form in her living room.

_Stupid window... Cruddy floor...Gah!_

The wind changed direction and started to pelt Ayane as she tried to force the wood into place.

_For the love of...! Great! Now I'm wet! Thank you, Mother Nature, for once again spitting in my face!_

Wet and angry, Ayane forced the makeshift window in place and headed for the kitchen. Grabbing some paper towels she dried her face and went to retrieve her coffee from its neglected spot on the counter.

_For once, I would like to just wake up to a peaceful morning... No unexpected visitors, no large puddle of gutter water on my floor, no Hayabusa..._

Though she thought that, Ayane felt odd waking up this morning without him sitting beside her... It just seemed to be... routine or something...

_My daily routine... First, wake up, (in my bed or his...) Second, smart mouth Hayabusa and tell him to piss off...Third, have a cup of coffee, and finally, walk back into the bedroom and ravage the unsuspecting Hayabusa in so many wrong, very wrong, ways..._

She laughed at the latter and finished her coffee. Laughing as she did seemed rather odd after what had happened last night... Hayate's lie and his harsh words, running out into the forest, Hayabusa's kindness...

Ayane rinsed out her mug and headed for her bedroom. It might've been morning but she couldn't think of anything to do... Plopping down on her bed Ayane tried not to think anymore on the depressing thought. But... What could she do? She couldn't complete her revenge on Kasumi... She no longer had a goal to complete... And Hayate had been so cruel...

_Damn it... I'm thinking about it...oh well...it's not like there's anything else to worry about..._

It had taken her forever to get home last night... Walking through that forest, her clothes clinging to her, feeling an absolute chill every time the wind blew... As she walked she laughed to herself silently at the thought of asking Hayabusa for a 'lift' home.

_He's helped me so much...But, it would be better if he just stayed out of this affair with my siblings and I...I know he's close to Hayate... though I don't know his feelings about Kasumi..._

That Hayabusa would have any feelings for Kasumi made her blood boil.

_The bitch is lucky Hayate concocted that little plan to get her off the hook... If it weren't for me then he wouldn't have had any material to make his plan with... That stupid clone... Who would want to clone Kasumi anyway? Out of all the people in the world they had to choose that snot of a half-sister of mine...I thought we already had enough bratty, girly girl teenagers like her on this planet..._

The wind kicked up again and caused a tree branch to attack her window, since it had been so quiet in her room the noise sounded as if someone was beating on her window with a baseball bat; naturally, this made Ayane jumped up from her bed and readied herself to attack the window. But there was no one there... just the stupid tree branch...

_I'm going to go mad in this apartment if I don't find something to do...It's just too bad that today's a Sunday or else I could go torment everyone at school..._

Maybe it was her boredom... Maybe it was the memories from the night before, but she suddenly had the urge to see Hayabusa.

_There's nothing to do here... I might as well go bug the crap out of him..._

So, with her goal set, she pulled on a pair of jeans underneath her nightshirt and shoved on her sneakers. Grabbing her coat on the way out, she locked the door behind her.

The wind put up a fight to keep her from reaching Hayabusa's. No matter which way she walked it would blow against her, pelting her with rain. But in the end she prevailed as she approached Hayabusa's shop. The only problem was that the sign on his door read 'Closed'.

_What the...? Closed? How could it be closed?_

Disregarding the sign Ayane reached forward and tried to open the door. Lucky for her, it was open.

_Funny... People usually lock their doors when they close their shops..._

"Hey Hayabusa, its false advertisement to say your closed when the door's opened!" Ayane called into the dark store getting no response. Maybe he wasn't home... He did leave the door open that one day she came here... Locking his door behind her, Ayane headed for the staircase behind the counter.

"I'm coming up! You better be dressed!"

_Not that I would mind you being naked..._

Ayane mentally smacked herself as she headed up the stairs. His living room seemed to be empty and so was the kitchen. Creeping up to his bedroom door, she peeked in. There in the middle of the dark room, on the bed, laid the sleeping Hayabusa. Actually, it was more like a lump under the covers, but Ayane doubted that he would have anyone sleeping in his bed.

_Besides me..._

Due to the rain, there were only a few beams of dim light shown through the window, giving her enough light to make her way to his bed.

_How could he still be sleeping? It's almost one in the afternoon!_

Reaching the blankets Ayane slowly pulled them down to reveal the face of their owner. Hayabusa, sleeping soundly enough not to realize Ayane was at his bedside, laid amongst his pillows. His hair was down and slightly fanning out from his body. Ayane also took note of the fact that he wasn't wearing a shirt.

_He looks so peaceful when he sleeps...but why is he sleeping so late?_

Ayane reached her hand forward and lightly touched Hayabusa's forehead. But she instantly yanked it away when she felt the heat being emitted from it.

_He has a fever? Ha! So the almighty super ninja has been brought down by a simple cold!_

Even though she thought that, she couldn't help but feel bad that he had gotten sick. It was probably her fault. Because he had followed her into the forest, they had both gotten rained on... And he took the greater part of it because he was trying to keep her dry.

"I told you to stop helping me... Now look at you..." Nervously, Ayane reached out and traced her fingertips along Hayabusa's jaw line. His skin felt so hot...

"...Mm..." Ayane pulled her hand away as Hayabusa turned his head towards her, his eyes slightly open, "...Ayane...?" Ayane didn't think she would be able to speak. Here she sat with a partly undressed Hayabusa lying in bed with his hair tossed about and those lovely green orbs looking at her.

"I-I would say good morning, but its already afternoon..." Hayabusa looked from her to his window. His eyes didn't seem to be focusing right away, but after shaking his head he looked back to her.

"How are you feeling?"

"What do you mean, how am _I_ feeling? You're the one still in bed at one in the afternoon, with a fever none the less!" Hayabusa drew a breath and sat up.

Ayane hadn't really noticed before, probably because it was always kept it tied back, but Hayabusa had really long hair! As he sat up it was lifted from the pillows and began to caress his back, sliding over his tanned skin like a lovers hand.

"Don't worry about me, I want to know why you are here... It not often that you visit me of your own free will..."

_I've never came here of my own free will before...well, besides that one time..._

"Don't flatter yourself! I just happened to be walking by and thought I'd duck in here to escape the rain... By the way, your front door is unlocked, which doesn't help to keep intruders out... Even if the sign says 'Closed'." Hayabusa simply watched her, waiting for her to say something more, "Um... That said, I'll be leaving now..."

Ayane turned away from him and headed for the door, but before she could reach it, Hayabusa, somehow out of bed and standing behind her, grabbed her wrist.

"Is that all?" Ayane, still shocked that he was out of bed so fast, had a momentary lapse in mental capabilities. He had a much nicer build then she had imagined. His shoulders were shaped nicely with his neck, and his torso...

_Since when did I start feeling this way about him...?_

"Ayane?" snapping back to herself Ayane responded.

"What do you mean, '_Is that all'_? Let go of my arm, you..." Hayabusa's eyes suddenly slipped closed as he fell forward into Ayane's arms, "Whoa! What's wrong with you?" Ayane said as she struggled under Hayabusa's weight.

"I think I stood up too fast... My head just felt dizzy for a moment..."

"Well gee, maybe that's because you have a fever of one thousand!"

"Ayane, that's not..."

"Oh shut up and help me move your sorry butt to the bed... You're heavy." With Ayane's help, Hayabusa walked back to the bed and sat down, "Look at you, worrying about me when you're the one who's burning up. Now lie down and rest, I'll go and get you a wet cloth..." Ayane headed for the kitchen but was stopped halfway.

"Ayane? This isn't..."

"Look you, I said lay down... Do you actually think I'm going to leave you here so that you can suffer all by yourself? Now _lay down_." Hayabusa sat there, thinking over Ayane's actions.

_I thought she would still be in pain from last night..._

He was still thinking when Ayane returned with a bowl of water and a cloth. Setting down the objects she shoved Hayabusa down on the bed and pulled the blankets over him.

"Didn't you hear me the first three times? Now just try to go to sleep..." Dipping the rag into the water, she rang it out and placed it upon his forehead.

"Ayane..."

"What? Are you scared I'll kill you in your sleep or something?"

"No..."

_I didn't think that you would care..._

**End Chapter**

(Ayane sits at a table with Nashi and Wolf)

Ayane- That was a short chapter...

Nashi- Yeah, I know. (Munches on a sandwich)

Wolf- Pass the chips...

(Ryu burst into the room, wearing rags that once resembled his clothes.)

Nashi- Hey Ryu...

Ryu- Don't you 'Hey Ryu' me! You left me in the clutches of a mad woman!

Kurmoi (Off in the distance) – Oh Ryuuuuu! Where are you, you big, sexy man, you!

Ayane- Speak of the devil...

Wolf- : Munch Munch:

(Kurmoi pounces on Ryu from behind)

Kurmoi- Found you!

Ryu- God, not again!

_Will Ryu ever escape the groping of the mad kurmoi? Who will make the next guest appearance? Will Nashi ever complete the next chapter? _

_Who knows! _


	19. To Cry

Nashi- Heeeeello! Sorry it's been a while since I updated. School work and papers and exams and friends keep getting in the way of my writing time!

Sumono (School mate of Nashi) - Nashi! You're in the library again!? God! What's wrong with you!? Come outside with the rest of us!

Nashi (being dragged away from the computer) – Noooo! I must write! I wanna updaaaate!

Sumono- I swear! It's not healthy for a girl to be skipping lunch just to type some story! You need to eat!

Nashi (Kicking and screaming) – Nooo! I need to updaaaate!

Chapter 19:

He felt incredibly warm… so warm his flesh seemed to be burning underneath… How many blankets were on the bed? Feeling around he found that there were five blankets covering his already feverish body. Five thick, heat enclosing blankets…

Groaning he pushed them off and sat up, running a hand through his loose hair. The cool air felt comforting against the sweat that lightly covered his body. How long had he been asleep? The rain had stopped and now a faint orange light was beginning to make its way through the window.

_It's evening…_

Standing he made his way towards his bedroom door, but he only made it half way before nausea took over. _"You're going to catch a cold like that…"_ Hayates words came back to him. _"I've been though worse…"_ He remembered saying.

_Right now I'd prefer facing another Tengu to this cold…oh, my head…_

He felt clogged, as if someone had shoved cotton in his ears and nose. It was aggravating to have his senses so dim. He could barley hear the running water in the kitchen.

_Wait, why is there running water?_

Suddenly, the memory of Ayane coming over returned to him. Was she still here? Forgetting about being nauseous, he continued on his way to the door. His hair made a slight tickling sensation along his shoulder blades as he walked to the kitchen.

Ayane cursed as she hurried to turn the stove off. She didn't like cooking back in Home Economics and she didn't like it now… But she didn't think that making soup would be so hard… The chicken and noodles kept sticking to the bottom of the pot and then it wouldn't stop boiling over… It was aggravating but at least it wasn't burned…

_You can't burn soup…Can you?_

Ayane grabbed a bowl from the shelf and dished a reasonable amount of soup into it. Hayabusa had been sleeping for so long he must've been starving by now… "Well, it's ready…" Ayane said as she set the bowl on a try.

"What's ready?" Ayane jumped slightly at the voice. Turning she found Hayabusa standing in the kitchens doorway.

"Hayabusa! What are you doing out of bed? If you pass out I'm not going to drag you back to your room! Your sick butt can just stay on the floor!" Hayabusa shook his head and walked in front of her, standing there for a few moments, "Um… Hayabusa?" Reaching over her shoulder he turned off the stovetop.

"You shouldn't leave the stove on if you're not cooking…" Ayane didn't know why she did it, maybe it was just instinct, but she sent her fist into his stomach, not hard enough to hurt him though, just enough to get her point across.

"Jerk, I was cooking so you wouldn't starve to death!" She removed her fist from his stomach, 'Now back off! Between you and the stove I'm practically cooking myself!" Hayabusa gave her a confused look as he rubbed the new sore spot.

_She's cooking?_

Ayane gave an agitated sigh and grabbed his hand, positioning it before his face she said, "Now do you see? You're emitting heat like a furnace! I don't even know how you could be out of bed!"

"I feel fine…" Hayabusa took note that Ayane hesitated before she let go of his hand, "How are you…"

"Oh for Christ's sake, what did I tell you about worrying about me when you're the one who's sick? Now eat you're soup!" Ayane pushed him aside and headed downstairs to the shop.

As she descended the stairs she mumbled to herself, "_My name's Hayabusa, I'm on the verge of death from a fever, but that's ok, I want to know how you're feeling._" She continued to mock Hayabusa as she locked the front door and checked to make sure the 'Closed' sign was still in place.

The dim light of the setting sun seemed to make the room glow faintly. Ayane walked about and looked at the exotic collection Hayabusa had arranged. Once again her attention was drawn by the glass case that held the dolls. Her eyes made their way from one doll to the next.

Out of all of them she spotted one that took her breath away. A Japanese doll in a spring kimono of green. Dark hair hung loosely from its shoulders and went to its waist. Small hair clips held the hair away from the dolls face, which held a gentle expression. It reminded her of…

"Mother…" Ayane ran her finger tips across the glass and stopped at the dolls face.

_Yes… the expression is just like hers…_

It was as if someone had made a little copy of her mother and placed her in a glass coffin for all to see. But something else about the doll caught her attention. The way the doll was sitting, its legs folded beneath it, its little hands in front of her, how the head was tilting inwards. Like how a grieving mother would sit before the body of her dead child…

Ayane's depression was slowly rising from the depths of her heart. Her mother couldn't have been happy with a child of her lineage… She had been through so much pain because she had been born…

"Mother… I'm sorry…" Silent tears made their way to her dark eyes, "I'm so sorry…" She let herself slide to her knees, her hands balled into fists and her head hung to her chest, "You didn't deserve to go through what you did…" She said between sobs, "And no one had the right to treat you as they did… But… you would always smile…" Ayane banged her fist on the floor, "Why did you always smile? Why didn't you ever cry?"

"She didn't cry because she didn't want you to be sad…" Two warm arms encircled her, she must have been to upset to have noticed the silent footfalls that had approached her, "You were her happiness and joy, even if she was hurting, she didn't want to see you hurt too." Hayabusa pulled her up from the floor and brought her to lean against his chest, "Go ahead and cry Ayane… You have all the right to…"

"Ha… Hayabusa… You're sick…" She sniffled, trying her best to calm down.

"The illness of the body can't compare to the pain of the heart…" Hayabusa said as he stroked her hair, "This fever is nothing compared to the pain I feel watching you cry…" Hayabusa's words and meaning went straight to her core. Ayane looked up at him with her tear streaked face and he met her with his green orbs. These eyes couldn't lie… They were honest and forgiving… They may have seemed so cold and dark before, but now they held only warmth…

_He does care… He really does…_

"Why Hayabusa… Why do you care? No one would think twice about me dieing and yet you… I mean, not even my own brother…" She looked away from his face and spoke, almost murmured against his chest, her thoughts. All the ideals she thought the world had held against her, everything just came flowing out, "And what if I killed Kasumi? Would you still care about me then? Could you be as easily swayed as everyone else?"

Silence surrounded them and only small sniffles from Ayane rippled the silent surface as Hayabusa contemplated. Finally, Hayabusa took Ayanes chin in his hand and raised her face to his.

"I care…" He started; looking deep into her tear filled eyes, "Because I love you, Ayane… No matter what you have done or will do, I can't, and would never, change that fact…" Ayane was too shocked to say anything.

He loved her? After how she had treated him… after all the times she had rudely brushed him aside and cursed at him and… and… she wanted him to love her… After how she could feel the idea of him loving Kasumi rip her heart?

"Hayabusa…" She said, scared that if she made any sudden movements she would wake up from this dream.

"Please Ayane… Call me Ryu…" The back of his hand brushed away the stray hairs that had fallen in her face.

"Ryu…" It was a dream… It had to be… But, Hayabusa… Ryu… Was standing here in front of her, brushing away her tears and saying he loved her… It had to be real… She could feel the heat from his body against hers and his green eyes were too soft to be only a dream. She knew what would happen next, she felt that it was inevitable, but if you had asked her long ago if she would ever kiss Hayabusa she would have said 'no'.

Their lips gently brushed against each other and then held themselves together in a deep kiss that they had both longed for. Everything Ayane thought she had hidden away rose to the surface and tears started to flow freely again. Hayabusa gently whipped theses new tears away, kissed her brow, and held her close, allowing her to free all of the pain that had built up for so long.

_**End Chapter**_


	20. The Epilogue

Nashi- I hate to say it, but Kage no aru Murasaki has come to a close… Although… A new story is beginning…

**Disclaimer-** You all should know I don't own Dead or Alive… I mean, c'mon on now! Sheesh…

**Epilogue:**

It was hot, but it was a dry heat, and the sun shined brightly in the summer sky as Ayane walked home from the super market. Her bags swayed side to side and the warm air blew against her tank top and jeans as she hurried down the sidewalk, wanting to get home and have dinner ready by five.

Before she used to get looks about her lavender hair, but now everyone seemed to be used to seeing her walking down the street. Every now and then she would get a "Hello" and a "Good Afternoon", some even called her by name. It was… nice…

She finally reached her front door and walked in, the bell above the door gave a jingle as it opened and closed behind her. She used to think that the bell was annoying, but over time she had come to accept it. The store was empty, naturally. They had been closed for the day since Hayabusa went to see her brother.

Arranging her bags she headed up the stairs and to the kitchen. Tonight she would make curry… it shouldn't be too hard and wouldn't make a big mess afterward… She hoped. Last night she somehow managed to get the whole kitchen covered in sauce… Hayabusa had laughed a little and helped her clean up.

With the water boiling, the table set, and everything put away Ayane reclined into the armchair she had claimed as hers. One time both her and Hayabusa had went to sit in it. It was the Dead or Alive tournament all over again as they poked and prodded over who would sit there. In the end, they both sat in it, Hayabusa in the chair and Ayane on his lap.

Ayane flushed slightly at the memory and looked around the room. She had been living here for two weeks now, leaving her apartment as soon as Hayabusa had invited her to stay with him. It gave her less hassles with Hayate, which meant she didn't and hadn't needed to see him since the night he had forbidden her to kill Kasumi.

Hayabusa had offered to get her a bed of her own, but she liked lying next to him. Even though they hadn't really _done_ anything, it was comforting to wake up in the middle of the night and hear his deep breathing next to her or to wake up to his arms encircling her in a gentle embrace…

Ayane angled herself to the side and looked to the kitchen to check her water. Her life had changed… She still went to school, even though reluctant to leave Hayabusa in the morning. Her grades seemed to be improving, probably from the study sessions Hayabusa had given her.

But everything else was… different… She no longer went through her days trying to think of a way to find Kasumi… Trying to find a way to capture and eliminate her… Her thoughts seemed to drift to other things… Almost as if she was just a normal girl.

Also, her sadness about her mother seemed to be soothed… it was now rare for her to have depressing dreams and wake up crying at night… And if she did she would always find Hayabusa awake and sitting beside her, ready to comfort her and tell her it was ok…

Looking around the living room she picked out her things amongst Hayabusa's. In the corner of the room was her trunk. The trunk that held all of her nighttime 'gear', she felt bad about how it now collected dust in the corner. Sometimes she would open it and examine the blades or check her suits.

She didn't have a reason for pulling anything out… She couldn't hunt Kasumi and since she hadn't talked to Hayate since that night she hadn't heard anything about the Hajinmon either…

The Hajinmon… Another thing that seemed to be slipping away from her… The Hajinmon were merely shadows of the Mugen Tenshin, but they were the closest thing, besides her mother, that she had to a true family…

_Genma… I wonder how he's doing… it's been do long since I last visited…_

Pushing up from the chair she returned to the stove to finish preparing the meal, but the thought of Genma still lingered in her mind. They may not have been blood related but she claimed him as her father…

She felt guilty for not visiting him, but things had been so hectic… and she still didn't finish the mission that he himself had given her… Not truly anyway… Hayate's sham of Kasumi's funeral had probably put the clan at peace, but she doubted Genma would be fooled so easily…

_I'm sorry father…_

The sound of the door opening downstairs broke through her thoughts. Setting the food aside and turning off the stove she headed downstairs to greet Hayabusa. But when she got there she discovered that he wasn't alone…

"Ayane…" He greeted her, "We have a guest tonight…" His voice didn't sound as if he enjoyed the thought of this guest but Ayane knew why… because he knew she would be upset… He could probably tell by the look of discontent she wore as she starred at her half-brother… Neither of them said anything… probably from not knowing what to say… Ayane turned right back up the stairs…

"Ayane…"

"Dinner will be ready soon…" She mumbled behind her. Hayabusa watched her figure retreat to the second floor and then casted a glance to his friend.

"I told you this was a bad idea…" Hayate said as he ran his hand through his hair.

"She has a right to know…"

"You could've told her… She moved out of the apartment just so she wouldn't have to talk to me…"

"You're her brother… She needs to hear it from you…" With that Hayabsua made his way up the stairs, a reluctant Hayate behind him. Ayane was adding another plate to the table as they walked in.

"That won't be necessary, I won't be…" Hayate began.

"Shut up and take a seat, Hayate…" She said without looking at him. Hayate shrugged off her command and sat down with Hayabsua, "What do you want to drink?"

"Water…" Hayate took notice of how she didn't need to ask Hayabusa for his drink preference and how well she knew her way around the kitchen. Once she had dished out the food Ayane took her seat and they began the meal.

After the first few bites Hayate was surprised at how her cooking had improved. Last time he ate her cooking, which was long ago, he had to take stomach pills afterwards, but this food was actually pretty good…

"Have you taken cooking classes at school?" He asked, trying to break the silence. He hadn't meant for it to sound like an insult, but Ayane seemed to take it that way.

"What does that mean?" She looked up from the plate of food she had been concentrating so contently on to glare at him.

"Your cooking just tastes different. It's improved…" Ayane mumbled something that sounded, or at least should've been, a thank you. The rest of the meal passed in silence aside from small comments between Hayabusa and Ayane about school and the store.

Hayate was surprised to see how close the two had become. Ayane was calling Hayabusa 'Ryu' and he could've sworn that she had made a small giggle; of course, she stopped when she noticed him looking at her.

Once the meal was finished Ayane cleared the table, silently refusing his help, and placed the dishes in the dish washer, "I'll leave you two alone now…" She said once she finished. They had moved to the living room and Hayate sat on the sofa while Hayabusa stood.

"Ayane, please stay… There's something Hayate needs to tell you."

_Something Hayate needs to tell me? What? Is he finally going to apologize for being such a jerk?_

Ayane sat down in the large armchair and waited for Hayate to say something. Hayate looked uneasy and looked to Hayabusa for help but he only shook his head. With a sigh, he began what he hoped would turn into to large of a battle.

"Ayane… I'm afraid I have some bad news… I know you and I are not on good terms at the moment…" _And probably never will be after this…_ "But this is something you need to know... Something you should've known…"

Ayane suddenly felt worried. What could Hayate possibly know that would concern her so much? She didn't care about the clan's affairs… Could it be something about Kasumi?

Hayate watched her face for a while before he started again, "Genma, the leader of the Hajinmon function of the Mugen Tenshin… disappeared last week…"

Ayane's heart instantly sank… Genma was… gone?

"What do you mean by disappeared? Did he leave on a trip? He probably just left and didn't…"

"Ayane," Hayabusa chimed in, "Please listen to the rest of what Hayate has to say…" Now she was worried. If Hayabusa seemed so concerned about this then it had to be something bad…

"Ayane, Genma didn't leave on a trip… He was capture… abducted you could say…"

"But who…"

"I received a report from a scout I sent… that said that Genma was located… in DOAtech…"

_No…Not DOAtech... that means…_

"He has been experimented on Ayane… Just like I was… He's no longer the Genma you knew…"

"Hayate, why are you saying this?" Why was he saying he wasn't the Genma she knew? What could it mean?

"Because, as leader of the Mugen Tenshin… I have to kill him…" Hayate hung his head and waited for her to say something.

Ayane didn't think her heart could take what she was hearing. Genma, the one who cared for her as a child and taught her the Hajinmon way, was captured by DOAtech and experimented on? Now Hayate had to kill him?

"No… it can't be…"

"It is Ayane… I too have looked into it…" Hayabusa said.

"Hayate, you can't!"

"I have to, Ayane…"

"Ryu, please…!" Hayabusa shook his head. There was nothing he could do…

"They changed him Ayane… He's no longer human…"

"No!" Ayane yelled, "You're wrong! Genma could never be a monster!" With that Ayane ran to the downstairs, the front doors bell echoed up to the as she ran out of it. Hayabusa crossed the room and looked out the window, watching Ayane's figure running down the crowded sidewalk.

"She's going to need time to think this over…" Hayate slammed his fist into the arm of the sofa.

"Damn it!" He laid his head in his hands and looked to the floor, "Why do I always have to be the bad guy?"

"It is the burden of an elder brother…" Hayabusa said without looking away from the window.

"I just…" Hayate let out a sigh, "I just can't stand watching her cry… the whole thing with Kasumi… and now this…"

"Where is Kasumi now?" Ayane's image had now disappeared from the crowd.

"She's still running… Her 'death' has silenced the clan, but if she's ever spotted again…"

"I see…" Hayabusa sat down in the armchair still warm with Ayane's presence, "It seems that fate has delt you and your sister's cruel hands…"

0000000000

Warm air tossed her hair about her face as she sat on some stranger's front porch. The lights were off and the house was quiet so she didn't think anyone would mind. Not unless she started to break windows or something…

But she felt like breaking something… She wanted to take a baseball bat to all the bright lights and shop windows and send the rest of the world into the darkness she felt. She already had her mother taken from her, why did Genma have to be taken as well?

"It's… not fair…" She half-said, half-sobbed, DOAtech had already ruined her family once when they took Hayate, but now they had Genma… What did they do to him...?

"He has been experimented on Ayane… Just like I was…" Hayate's words repeated in her mind. Genma must have suffered a great deal… He must still be suffering…

"Oh Genma… father…" The tears came stronger now…

"Well now, what do we have here?" Two men approached her from the street, "Now what reason could such a lovely lady have to cry?"

Ayane kept her head bowed and ignored them, "It's such a shame to see a damsel cry…" The man walked closer to her and lifted her chin up with his hand, "How would you like to join me for some drinks, sweet heart?"

The man must've been foreign, his accent sounded Spanish and his hair was long and braided. But that didn't keep Ayane's fist from crashing into the bridge of his nose.

"Vega!" The other man cried out.

"How dare you…" The Spaniard, Vega, said while holding his nose, "How dare you strike my beautiful face!"

The man came at her, she was up and ready. She swung her leg back and quickly brought her heel forward, but she underestimated him… Vega dodged her leg and sent his fist into her stomach.

"Whoa!" His friend said, "Hitting chicks is not cool! You're on your own!" The man turned and ran but neither of them noticed. Ayane was still winded when Vega sent his leg into her said, causing her to fall to her knees.

"You shouldn't start fights you can't finish, little girl… Wha…?" He was taken aback to see her on the ground… Laughing…

"Now…I'm pissed…" She snickered as she got to her feet.

"You should've stayed down! You don't know…"

"…Who I'm up against?" She finished for him, brushing any remaining tears from her face, "I don't care who you are… all I know is that I'm going to beat your face into the pavement…"

People from the street were starting to crowd around as Ayane unleashed her fury upon the Spaniard. Punches, Kicks, everything sped by until she heard the approcing sirens of the police.

"Lucky for you… Stupid foreigner…" Ayane ran into the scattering crowd, leaving the beaten corpse behind her.

Many thoughts passed through her head as her blood pumped through her veins… So while she ran, her mind was made up…

"Please wait for me father… I'm coming…"

_And so, with her new mission objective, the purple shadow disappeared into the surrounding darkness…_

**End story: Kage no aru MuraSaki**

Nashi: And there you have it! It took a while but the story has reached its final part! Now it's time for DOA 3… oh yeah! I wanna say thanks to all of my loyal reviewers! I love you all!

Hayabusa: The story may be over, but my problems aren't!

Kurmoi: Oh Ryu! I love you so! (Huggles, gropes, and does many other wrong things…)

Hayabusa: Gah!

Ayane: Man, it must suck to be a hot video game guy…

Unforgiven Gamer: Yep… (sweatdrops as even the Ryu clones shake in fear of Kurmoi)

Nashi: Time for lunch! In celebration of Kage no aru Murasaki, food is on me!

(The three walk off)

Hayabusa: You guys suck!

Kurmoi: Oh Ryu… I'm not done with you yet… (giggles)

Hayabusa: Noooooo!


End file.
